FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Gable Steveson celebrates after beating Nick Gwiazdowski in their ... [+] Freestyle 125kg finals match on day 2 of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Dickies Arena on April 03, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)Getty ImagesGable Steveson is seemingly headed for a career in MMA. Because of his rsum, Steveson, 24, is the hottest free agent in the sport.Steveson won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics.Hes a Division I National Champion and a former WWE Superstar who also played for the Buffalo Bills this past preseason. His Olympic gold medal came after defeating Georgian wrestler Geno Petriashvili in a match he sealed with a last-second score.CHIBA, JAPAN - AUGUST 06: Gold medalist Gable Dan Steveson of Team United States poses with the ... [+] gold medal during the Men's Freestyle 125kg medal ceremony on day fourteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall on August 06, 2021 in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Getty ImagesStevesons transition into WWE was highly anticipated, and he was signed to a unique NIL deal, allowing him to continue his collegiate wrestling career while under contract with the company. However, he was released by the promotion in May.Steveson recently played a significant role in helping Jon Jones prepare for Stipe Miocic ahead of UFC 309, and that experience has seemingly led to his next move. Jones, considered by many to be the greatest fighter in MMA history, is also known for his ability to mentor younger fighters, having previously worked with other notable names in the sport.MORE FOR YOUSteveson appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday and said he fell in love with the sport while training with Jones. Helwani expressed his desire to see Steveson try his hand at mixed martial arts and asked about his prospects.After being in that camp with Jon Jones that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA, Steveson said. Im not sure of the promotion yet, but Jon definitely lit a fire under me and say, hey, I think you should go back to wrestling. I think you should try MMA. Weve got a great team here in Albuquerque if you want to join us. It was just fascinating how I got into something so quick. When I put on the gloves, everything felt like home base. With the wrestling, the boxing work, the jiu-jitsu, I think I could be very good really quick.Here is a look at the clip:Steveson is one of the most remarkable athletes of our generation. His combination of power, explosiveness, and dexterity is off the charts. That said, even for an athlete of his caliber, he would face a tough challenge making an immediate impact in the UFC.His career trajectory would likely resemble that of another former Division I wrestling champion, Bo Nickal. The UFC made Nickal go through two stints on the Dana White Contender Series before signing him to the main roster. Nickal had two amateur fights in 2021 and a professional fight that he ended in 33 seconds in 2022 before getting his first taste of the Contender Series in August 2022.Nickal scored a 62-second submission win in that fight. He returned a month later in the same season and won via triangle choke in just 52 seconds to earn the contract.Nickals rise could become a blueprint for high-level wrestlers entering MMA, as it could allow them to develop well-rounded skills before jumping into the UFC.Its possible Steveson could follow a similar plan if the UFC is the direction he chooses. However, he seems open to offers from other promotions.When Nickal emerged, the Professional Fighters League had yet to establish itself as a viable option for young up-and-comers. Now, with the PFLs multimillion-dollar deal with Francis Ngannou and partnerships with global broadcast platforms like DAZN, the promotion has become a legitimate contender for talent acquisition.Also, signing young fighters like Paul Hughes and Dakota Ditcheva, both of whom are fighting for championships in the PFL in the next three months, the PFL could be an even more attractive starting point for Steveson.He could secure a lucrative contract from the PFL, which would benefit from his star power, and he would likely face manageable opponents early in his career. He wont get both of those advantages from the UFC.Stevesons ultimate destination could be the UFC, but the PFL seems to have a great opportunity to offer him a lucrative deal upfront. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds, but Stevesons MMA debut will be a significant event, regardless of the promotion.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: (L-R) Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight during LIVE On Netflix: Jake ... [+] Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix 2024)Getty Images for Netflix 2024We might not have seen the last of Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in the ring. The next time we see the two men faceoff, it could be in the WWE.The WWE already has a relationship with Jake Pauls older brother Logan Paul. After seeing the numbers Tyson did with Jake, it appears WWE would like to get a piece of the pairs appeal.Tyson and Pauls fight generated significant buzz due to the collaboration between Tyson and MVP Promotions. Rumors began circulating on Wednesday, suggesting the promotion expressed interest in a match involving Paul and Tyson.Paul defeated Tyson in a boxing match via unanimous decision on Friday, November 15. The fight wasnt exactly action-packed, but it drew more than 108 million viewers on Netflix, according to reports from MVP Promotions.The fight is the most-viewed boxing match in history, and the viewership benchmark was a groundbreaking achievement for sports content on Netflix, surpassing the previous record set by the 2021 Formula 1 documentary, Drive to Survive.WWEs Monday Night Raw is set to make its Netflix debut on January 6 in an event scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Its possible a link between the WWE, the Pauls and Tyson may already be established.MORE FOR YOUPaul appeared on Logans talk show ImPaulsive on Wednesday, and the two discussed the chances of Jake joining his older brother in a WWE storyline.Logan has been a semi-regularly featured Superstar on WWE programming for two years, with notable matches against Roman Reigns and Ricochet, cementing his cross-promotional appeal. He was the United States Champion before losing his title to LA Knight earlier this year.Jake told Logan hed like to be his Paul Heyman, which could make for an interesting angle. Here is a look at the episode.Tyson also has a history with WWE.He participated in a huge storyline during the Attitude Era involving Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Mike Tysons most iconic moment in WWE came at WrestleMania XIV, where he served as a special enforcer during the main event between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin.The spot led to segments being watched millions of times on YouTube, and it even produced a playable version of Tyson in WWF War Zone and WWEs 13 video games.Its unclear if WWE brass was on hand in Arlington, Texas, for Paul-Tyson, but Triple H (aka Jean-Paul Levesque) and his wife Stephanie McMahon were present at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.WWE and UFC are under the same corporate umbrella. TKO Holdings, formed after the merger between WWE and UFC parent company Endeavor, aims to leverage the combined appeal of both brands for joint promotions and crossover events.The lines between all combat sports and WWE are blurring more than ever.Its unclear what Tyson could do with WWE at this point in his life. The 58-year-old would likely have difficulty doing anything too physical besides throwing a punch or two.Thankfully, that might be all that is required, and the spotno matter how smallwould likely be quite lucrative for all involved.Dont be surprised to see something begin in January when WWE makes its debut on Netflix and culminates at WrestleMania 41, which takes place in Las Vegas on April 19-20, 2025.

B2B leaders have spent much of the past year scrambling to take advantage of genAI technology and find new ways to differentiate themselves.

Nvidias stock broke to all-time highs recently, trading at $148 in early November and $147 yesterday. The stock has left many investors wondering what comes next after the unrelenting, historic surge that began seven quarters ago.To help my readers determine where Nvidias stock will go next, Ive been fastidious in my analysis about the companys outsized AI potential since 2018, tracking Big Tech capex as a proxy for AI demand since 2022, discussing the anomalous earnings and revenue revisions throughout 2023 and 2024, and reporting on never-before published data on supply chain checks as recent as two months ago.CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, waves during the launch of the supercomputer Gefion at Vilhelm ... [+] Lauritzen Terminal in Kastrup, Denmark, on October 23, 2024. The new AI supercomputer has been established in collaboration with EIFO and NVIDIA and is operated by the Danish Center for AI Innovation (DCAI). The computer is aimed 'at breakthroughs in quantum computing, clean energy, biotechnology and other areas serving Danish society and the world', according to Nvidia. (Photo by Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty ImagesThe thoroughness is needed, however, as rumors from the media and short sellers alike run amuck. Rest assured, as 2025 approaches, supply chain data is giving bullish signals that the new generation of GPUs shipping in full volume by mid-2025 (and beginning to ship in the January quarter) will far exceed the GPU sales we saw in 2023 and 2024 combined.Regarding my firms confidence in tracking supply chain data, when The Information stated Nvidia was experiencing a material delay on the next generation of GPUs, going so far as to state that Taiwan Semiconductor had machines sitting idle, I quickly refuted the report based on supply chain data my firm had been tracking. Those data points continue to indicate Blackwell is ramping. Here is what I stated:As of now, theres a disconnect between next fiscal years revenue estimates of $167 billion and the $210 billion in GB200s alone expected to ship next year. Perhaps analysts are waiting for signals the supply chain can produce these outsized orders. So far, so good with the signals we see from TSMC and SMCIs most recent earnings reports. Foxconn commentary helps, as well.MORE FOR YOUFast forward two months, and next years fiscal estimates stand at $185 billion up from $167 billion; showing no material impact from the delay (quite the opposite). Our firm was also able to use that same supply chain data to buy Nvidia in July/August, for an average cost basis of $109. The I/O Funds first trade was at $3.15, but we actively track the stock and publish our real-time trade alerts for anyone who feels they missed out on the AI juggernaut.$5B+ in Blackwell Revenue for Q4The first item that will determine the strength of the upcoming earnings report from Nvidia has nothing to do with the Q3 results. Rather, what the market will want to know is how much Blackwell revenue is expected in the January quarter. Morgan Stanley has estimates placed at $5 to $6 billion, with this number hitting a ceiling due to supply constraints; however, Piper Sandler sees Blackwell revenue potentially higher, at $5 billion up to $8 billion.The bigger picture is that Blackwell will ramp by an order of magnitude, eventually exceeding Hoppers revenue. To quantify this, Hopper has delivered approximately $125 billion in data center revenue since Q1 2023, based on estimates from Trend Force placing Hopper at generating 90% of data center revenue in 2024. Blackwell, on the other hand, is expected to deliver up to $210 billion next year alone, based on estimates for up to 60,000 to 70,000 GB200 NVL72 servers priced up to $3 million each.Given the company is lapping tough comparables, the growth rate will slow considerably even if Blackwell does ramp from $6 billion per quarter to $60 billion per quarter by late-2026 (Hopper is in its seventh quarter and Blackwell will be in its seventh quarter by late 2026). This is because excellence begets excellence, and thus, Nvidia is competing with itself with each new generation of GPUs. For example, with Hopper, the company reported peak quarterly growth of 262% and 265% earlier this year, yet is expected to slow to the mid-40% for growth as we close out 2025.Nvidia has multiple levers it can pull and outside forces at play that will help it maintain this 40%+ growth rate. This includes a 1-year product road map, Big Techs large appetite for AI spending, and long-term AI GPU market growth from Enterprises and the Consumer, plus a commanding market share position.By coming to market with upgraded, more powerful GPUs on a now-annual cadence, with Blackwell Ultra, Rubin and Rubin Ultra soon to come, Nvidia will continue to be the largest beneficiary of Big Techs AI capex to an unprecedented degree as the company continually raises the bar on performance and TCO upgrades with each new generation.Additionally, Nvidia has a software moat with CUDA and the cash to reserve chip capacity in bulk at the fab level to maintain an 80% to 85% share of what executives foresee as a $500 billion AI accelerator market by 2028. I first covered these points in my free newsletter when I published: Heres Why Nvidia Stock Will Reach $10 Trillion Market Cap by 2030.Of these points, one of the most visible is that Nvidia continues to pry away tens of billions in cash and now hundreds of billions - from the worlds leading tech companies.Big Tech Capex to Surpass a Quarter TrillionAll roads lead to Nvidia, and its no secret that Big Tech and others are competing to purchase Nvidias supply constrained GPUs. Our firm began tracking Big Tech capex as a proxy for Nvidia demand in 2022, and tracking it on a quarterly basis starting in early 2023 to help gauge AI demand, I continue to track Big Tech capex quarterly closely for our readers.Our recent checks published in the analysis AI Spending to Exceed a Quarter Trillion Next Year reveal that AI spending continues to accelerate, with Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta on track to increase their spend by ~$90 billion YoY in 2024. This does not include xAI, CoreWeave, Oracle and dozens of others who are also spending multiple billions on Nvidias GPUs, as well.To better understand the trajectory of AI spending, lets take a step back to 2023, where the rapid ascent of ChatGPT at the beginning of the year set the stage for AI to step into the spotlight.In the first half of 2023, Big Tech spent ~$74 billion on capex. Through Q3, that sum had moved up to ~$109 billion.In the first half of 2024, Big Tech spent nearly $104 billion, a 47% YoY increase. Through Q3, that sum had surged to $170 billion, up 56% YoY.Big Tech could spend another $70 billion in Q4, based on guidance and comments from executives, who overwhelmingly discussed the need for more AI infrastructure, putting full year capex at ~$240 billion, or nearly 15% higher than the level they were tracking at the start of the year.Big Techs Q4 capex could hit $70B, driven by AI infrastructure demandpushing 2024s total to ... [+] ~$240B, up 15% from early-year estimates!I/O FundFor 2025, Big Tech has already signaled a willingness to spend substantially more on AI. There is clear ROI for Amazon, Google and Microsoft as they rush to meet the elevated demand that continues to outpace AI capacity in their cloud infrastructures. More broadly, Big Tech and large enterprises are racing to further develop and broaden AI services and models. UBS projects Big Tech will spend ~10% more YoY, placing AI-driven capex at $267 billion; however, if 2024 is any sign, this estimate is too low. This all fits in with longer-term projections from Bank of America that sees a cumulative $700 billion spent on AI through 2026.Nvidia Has Over 2X Better Margins Compared to Most Mag 7 StocksAs we go through a lull between the Hopper generation being in its seventh quarter, and Blackwell not yet shipping in volume, our firm will be buying the dips on Nvidia for many reasons one of them being its the market leader on margins. By having a near monopoly on GPUs, Nvidia has incredibly strong pricing power.The GPUs coming in 2025, called Blackwell, are set to intensify this pricing power with DGX B200 systems reportedly going for up to a 40%+ premium to the previous DGX H100 systems, at $500,000 per server versus the low $300,000s per server, respectively.While GB200 prices are estimated at $60,000 to $70,000 for a single chip, the NVL36 and NVL72 configurations carry much higher price tags and thus, higher average prices per GB200. For example, the NVL36 is expected to cost ~$1.8 million, and for 18 GB200s (36 B200 GPUs), that comes out to $100,000 per GB200 and additional components. For the NVL72, it works out to ~$83,333 per GB200 and additional components.While there were concerns about Nvidias margins given that management guided for a sequential contraction in gross margins in Q3, the sheer pricing power of Blackwell will ultimately be a non-issue next year.Nvidias operating margin of 62% exceeds second place Microsoft by 17.5 points and third place Meta by 21.9 points; Nvidia is more than double the rest of the Mag 7 including Apple and Alphabet. This is because Hoppers pricing power versus the Ampere generation: Nvidias Compute and Networking operating margin expanded from 28.5% in Q3 FY23 when Hopper reached full production to 71.3% in the most recent quarter even as revenue grew 7x during that seven-quarter period.Nvidia leads the MAG 7 with a 62% operating margin, driven by Hoppers pricing powermore than ... [+] double Apple, Alphabet, and others in the group!YChartsNvidia is expected to report roughly 50 bps to 100 bps margin contraction this quarter compared to last quarter, and will see roughly 200 bps to 300 bps margin contraction from its peak growth quarters earlier this year. As stated, the pricing power I foresee from Blackwell will keep the margins strong well into 2025, therefore, any concerns over margins this quarter will be a moot point by next year.The strong margins combined with the expected growth in AI accelerators has caused some analysts to increase earnings per share substantially as of late. Bank of America increased its EPS estimates for next calendar year from $3.90 to $4.47 and for calendar year 2026 from $4.72 to $5.67.In February, I wrote an analysis describing how Nvidias valuation was eerily low despite 420% rally since 2023 to help our readers prepare for a higher return in the coming months, which detailed the importance of these revisions.Ultimately, these revisions make the stock cheaper as it leads to more room in the bottom-line valuation. Despite being fairly straight forward, the velocity of the revisions is the single most important point that short sellers and Nvidia critics cannot seem to understand.Q3 Earnings Details:Of all the quarters since Nvidias Hopper release, this is the quarter most likely to be lackluster. This is because the impact of Hopper and the H200s are well-known and the Blackwell generation wont be shipping in volume until Q1 and ramping further into Q2.I am looking forward to the fiscal year guide in the February call, and am even more excited about the May earnings call when Blackwells impact will be better understood.Nvidias Q3 FY2025 Revenue:Nvidia is expected to report revenue of $32.9 billion for growth of 81.8% at the midpoint. Analyst expectations are higher than management guidance of $32.5 billion at the midpoint, for growth of 79.4%. This is a deceleration from last quarters 122.4% growth, and peak growth of 262% and 265% in the April and January 2024 quarters.As pointed out on EPS, another area where Nvidia is unique is the sheer amount of analyst revisions on the stock. It not only speaks to Nvidias dominance in the AI data center to continually surprise the Street, but also to the challenge that analysts face in terms of predicting Nvidias persistent revenue surge.For example, this year alone, analysts originally expected Nvidia to report 33.4% revenue growth and this quarter is now expected to be 81.8% growth, for revisions that total 48.4 points in about six months time (more than double the original growth expectations).This quarter, there is a wide range of expectations with UBS believing Nvidia will beat by as much as $2 billion, for revenue of $34.5 billion to $35 billion for Q3. Piper Sandler foresees a beat of $1.3 billion for Q3, and a beat of $1.5 billion for Q4.Its been quite clear for the past two years that analysts do not know how to gauge the growth coming from this company. In 2025, Blackwell is likely to wildly exceed analyst estimates again.EPS:This quarter, analysts are expecting EPS of $0.74 compared to EPS of $0.67 last quarter. For nearly two years, the company has beaten EPS estimates by 10% or more, yet in the last quarter, the beat was more muted at 5.7%.On the topic of Nvidia having 2X better margins than most of the Mag 7, here is a glimpse of how Nvidia compares on EPS with a 35%+ growth rate compared to the Mag 7 reporting half this growth rate through 2026:Nvidia: 35.5% 2Y revenue CAGR, 35.1% EPS CAGRApple: 7.1% revenue CAGR, 14.4% EPS CAGRMicrosoft: 14.2% revenue CAGR; 14.9% EPS CAGRAmazon: 10.7% revenue CAGR; 22.3% EPS CAGRMeta: 13.5% revenue CAGR; 12.5% EPS CAGRSupply Constraints:This quarter, Nvidias CFO Colette Kress, will not offer a full year guide yet have to address the elephant in the room supply constraints.The fab that makes Nvidias chips, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), is working overtime to boost capacity to meet demand. TSMCs monthly CoWoS capacity was estimated at ~15,000/month at the end of 2023, and was originally expected to triple to ~45,000 to 50,000/month by the end of 2024 in order to meet such high demand from Nvidia, AMD and other advanced node clients. Now, capacity is expected to rise ~300% to 60,000/month.TSMC remains committed to significantly boosting CoWoS capacity over the next few years in order to accommodate these accelerated AI GPU timelines from both Nvidia and AMD, with multiple different product lines expected to come to market over the next couple of years. By year-end 2025, CoWoS capacity is estimated to be 80,000 to 90,000/month, per Morgan Stanley, with Nvidia reportedly already reserving half of this capacity.By the end of 2026, CoWoS capacity is estimated to expand to as much as 140,000 to 150,000/month, representing 10x growth in capacity from the end of 2023.Source: Beth_Kindig xAIFoxconn and Quanta are also both signaling strong demand for Blackwell come 2025. Foxconn has said that they see crazy demand for Blackwell servers, and forecast AI servers to make up half of their overall server business in 2025. Foxconn has said that initial shipments are on time for Q4 before ramping much faster in Q1, with Quanta saying the same, that initial shipments are on schedule and will ramp in Q1.Quanta sees triple-digit AI server growth through next year on the back of strong demand, with Deputy Spokesperson Carol Hsu saying that recent capex guidance from top US hyperscalers also confirmed their aggressive spending on AI in 2025, all from a high base in 2024.Nvidias China Exposure is LowNvidia is the subject of some of the most severe export restrictions from the US due to its integral role in advancing AI computing. Subsequently, the companys China exposure is among the lowest in the semiconductor sector, leaving it less exposed should we see heightened geopolitical tensions especially tariffs.Nvidias China revenue was 9.6% in Q1 and 12.2% in Q2, down from the low-20% range in the same quarters in fiscal 2024. For all of FY 2024, Nvidias China revenue was 16.9%, down from 21.5% the year prior. Other semi peers are much more heavily exposed to China: Broadcoms China exposure was 32.2% in FY 2023, Intels exposure was above 27%, and Qualcomm and Marvell both had more than 40% of revenue stem from China in FY 2024.Semiconductor Peers are Quite WeakAlthough Nvidias fundamentals are a perfect 10, the stock is contending with weak peers, as evidenced by major semiconductor ETFs, SOXX and SMH, not making new highs with the S&P 500.Retail investors often find out the hard way, even the most perfect stock must contend with market forces beyond its control. This is the primary reason Nvidias stock may pullback as Nvidia is holding up the semiconductor market, which has grown unusually weak in the past few weeks. SOXX is 20% of its all-time highs and SMH is 14% of its all-time highs despite the S&P 500 making new highs. In a 1-hour webinar for I/O Fund Members last quarter, I discussed why this is an issue for AI investors and what Id like to see before I resume buying Nvidia.Conclusion:My firm has become well-known for calling Nvidia an AI stock in 2018, and later stating Nvidia would Surpass Apple, and finally that Nvidia will reach a $10 trillion market cap by 2030. Yet, perhaps lesser-known is that I nailed the October 2022 bottom by stating Nvidia was Ready to Rumble on H100 GPUs along with a real-time trade alert for $10.80 on October 13th 2022 a mere 25 months ago.Here is what I stated at the exact moment Nvidias stock bottomed in October after selling off 60% following the August earnings report:Today, Nvidias AI products serve nearly every enterprise companys artificial intelligence and machine learning ambitions. The company has an impressive launch schedule starting in October for two flagship products the RTX 40 Series and the H100 GPU. The timing of these releases is no coincidence as its a rapid two months following the crypto/gaming revenue miss. Suffice to say, Nvidias management team is prepared to rumble - putting its very best release in gaming and its most powerful AI chip to-date up against the crypto mining selloff. If history is any indication, the turnaround will only be a matter of time.The upcoming earnings report has a few similarities to October of 2022, which is that we are toward the end of a product cycle and the CFO cannot offer fiscal year guidance. Despite the H100s ramping and Nvidia having visibility into that ramp, the CFO was tight-lipped two years ago stating: Our Data Center yes, we do expect it to grow. It may grow about what we just saw between Q1 and Q2. Well continue to look at it. Therefore, I am not expecting much from the CFO on Blackwell in this report, but that lack of detail will be a distant memory this time next year.Make no mistake, Nvidia is the best stock of the decade and we are only four years in. The big picture is that Nvidia's trajectory will continue due to two words: pricing power. Our firm has an aggressive buy plan at key levels should the stock pullback, and we have a backup plan should the stock overcome the peer pressure we are seeing from SMH and meaningfully breakout.The keyword is buy but the skillset is patience. My firm has blended cutting-edge analysis alongside careful, patient buys for returns of 3280% since our first tranche. Most importantly, the I/O Fund continues to offer buy zones for those whod like to participate.The I/O Fund first called out Nvidias AI opportunity in November 2018 with our first trade alert at $3.15 for returns of 3280%. We also provided 9 buy alerts from 2021 2022 to buy NVDA stock below $20. The I/O Fund has been closely analyzing lesser-known stocks in AI plus crypto with real-time trade alerts and webinars. For a limited time, get up to $250 off with one of our biggest sales of the year starting Nov 28th. Sign up for our newsletter for more information on the upcoming sale or Follow me on xAI/Twitter.If you would like notifications when my new articles are published, please hit the button below to "Follow" me.

VALENCIA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 02: A woman walks along a street full of mud and waste from houses after ... [+] heavy rain and flooding hit large parts of the country on November 02, 2024 in Paiporta municipality, in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)Getty ImagesWatching the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, this year turned climate urgency into personal reality for me. Streets I know well were submerged, communities devastated, and the cleanup costs exceeded $3.8 billion. These disasters are no longer distant or rarethey are here, now. Against this backdrop, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, feels like a critical moment.Baku, historically an oil hub, powered the industrial revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it hosts discussions about transitioning from that fossil fuel legacy to renewable energy. This symbolism is striking, but action is what matters now. COP29 is not about incremental progress; it must be a decisive step toward securing our climate future.Central to this years summit is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), which will replace the outdated $100 billion annual finance pledge. Developing countries are calling for significant increases in funding and mechanisms to unlock private capital, enabling them to adapt to climate impacts and transition to clean energy. Wealthier nations remain hesitant, citing economic uncertainties. Without an ambitious NCQG, trust between nations could erode further, leaving the most vulnerable to face the growing impacts of climate change alone.BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - NOVEMBER 11: Participants from Kenya photograph one another in front of a ... [+] billboard about climate finance on the opening day of the UNFCCC COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Getty ImagesRecent reports suggest the global clean technology market could exceed $2 trillion by 2035, offering unprecedented economic opportunities. Yet, without clear and ambitious policies, and robust public finance, private investment may falter. Over 260 companies, through the Fossil to Clean campaign, are urging governments to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. They emphasize that certainty and long-term commitments are essential for unlocking the capital needed to accelerate the energy transition.MORE FOR YOUAt COP29, discussions have been intense. The World Resources Institute outlines three key elements needed for a successful NCQG: a bold finance target, de-risking mechanisms to attract private investment, and strong accountability measures to ensure the effective use of funds. While there has been progress, consensus remains fragile. Wealthier nations have yet to commit to figures that match the scale of the challenge, and time is running out.Equally important is the issue of fossil fuels. The UAE Consensus from COP28 set a clear direction: transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030. This commitment to shifting away from fossil fuels must be reaffirmed in COP29s final text. This will reiterate to countries that their new national climate plans (NDCs) must have robust clean energy polices embedded and clear plans to reduce energy demand and progressively replace fossil fuel use with clean energy.Without this, the world risks backsliding into systems that perpetuate carbon dependency, leaving future generations to pay the price.A photograph taken on March 19, 2019 shows the oil wells of Bibi Heybat Oil Field, situated at the ... [+] coast of the Caspian Sea outside Baku. - Bibi Heybat's first oil drill took place in 1847, making it the oldest oil field in the world. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)AFP via Getty ImagesBusinesses are not waiting for governments to act. Many have already shifted their investments toward renewable energy and efficiency technologies, recognising that the future is clean. However, private-sector efforts alone are not enough. Governments must provide the regulations that allow businesses to scale up their efforts and accelerate the global transition.Baku is also a test of geopolitical cooperation. The world faces crises that compete for attentioneconomic recovery, energy security, and conflictsbut climate change remains an existential threat that transcends these challenges. If COP29 can align nations behind actionable commitments, it will reassert faith in multilateralism. However, the risk of another summit that prioritises compromise over urgency is real.As ministers prepare for the final stages of negotiations, the outcomes of COP29 will shape the agenda for COP30 in Brazil and beyond. Whether this summit is seen as a breakthrough or a missed opportunity depends on the decisions made now. Strong finance commitments and explicit fossil fuel phase-out language, that can deliver ambitious, investible NDCs are critical.The tools to address the crisis exist. Whats missing is the political courage to act. COP29 must deliver outcomes that go beyond rhetoric and provide the mechanisms needed to accelerate change. Anything less risks failing the moment. For those who have seen the devastation of recent climate impacts at home or away, the stakes are very clear. The world is watching, the time to deliver is now.

Billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of the Charoen Pokphand Group, speaks at a seminar in Bangkok in 2017.Dario Pignatelli/BloombergThe Charoen Pokphand Group, an agriculture conglomerate controlled by the family of Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, will spend 10.55 billion pesos ($179 million) to breed and raise hogs in the Philippines.Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Philippines Corp., a unit of Charoen Pokphand Foods, will spend that amount on 20 new breeding projects across the country, the Philippine Board of Investments said.The company will lease farms to breed parent stock pigs, producing thousands of piglets annually that will be transferred to wean-finish/grow-out farms until they reach market weight.The project, which will be spread across 11 provinces and create 1,250 jobs, was issued a Green Lane Certification by the nations Board of Investment, the first for an agricultural venture since 2023, when the Philippines started speeding up and simplifying permit and licensing for strategic investments.Each facility will use advanced farm equipment including climate controlled pig buildings, feed silos and automated feeding systems, farrowing pens and crates, gestation pens and both diesel and biogas generators.Dhanin, who received the Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Forbes Global CEO Conference in September 2023, is Thailands second-richest tycoon with a net worth of $14.7 billion, according to Forbes real-time data. Dhanin was Charoen Pokphand chairman for 48 years until he stepped down in 2017. His eldest son, Soopakij, and the youngest, Suphachai, are CP's chairman and CEO respectively. The company has interests in retail, telecommunications, finance, pharmaceuticals, property, autos and e-commerce.

Your new best friendAnthony KarczAfter reading e-books with an Amazon Kindle device of some sort for decades, I was certain that Amazon couldn't impress me with their 2024 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.I was wrong.Premium Kindle devices have gone through a lot of evolution over the years, increasing screen size and clarity as e-ink technology has improved, including (then removing) page-turn buttons, adding waterproofing, and more. This year's changes, the first in 3 years, are incremental but combine for a big impact.So what's new, how does it compare to the 2021 Signature Edition, and why is it so impressive (and why am I not recommending the Colorfast version)? Let's find out.The Best ColorsGive me metallics any day of the week over matte finishes.AmazonYes, this is completely superficial, but the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition won the lottery when it comes to device colors. Black, green, and purpley-pink are standard across all the latest Kindle devices but the Signature edition gets an eye-catching metallic finish.MORE FOR YOUKindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) left, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2021) rightAnthony KarczPaired with a black fabric cover (which is also quite nice, though I do miss the cork covers of the 2021 version) the Metallic Jade device Amazon sent me is extremely eye-catching. It makes you notice it. It makes you want to pick it up and read something. And let's face it, sometimes we all need a little extra push to get off our phones and pick up a good book (or magazine or comic).The Colorfast version loses in this category immediately because it only comes in Metallic Black. Boooo-ring!Screen SizeKindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) left, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2021) right Anthony KarczThe big news for this year's Paperwhite (and Signature Edition) is the larger screen. It's 7", up from 6.8" which isn't a huge difference, but it is big enough for one more line of text on a standard page. Especially if you're like me and need the font a little larger, you get more words on the screen, which is always welcome.The ppi hasn't changed, but at 300ppi it didn't need to. The e-ink display looks like words on a printed page, full stop. I would say that any advances past this point are for marketing purposes only.The screen is also "just" black and white which, given the issues with the Colorfast displays, is probably a good thing. The 7" screen is too small for a satisfying comic read and while being able to see your library covers in color is satisfying, I don't think it's worth an $80 markup (though some would disagree with me). There's also the fact that when viewing color pages, the resolution drops to 150ppi. It's a considerable compromise.The screen is still glare-free, making it as easy to read in full sunlight as a regular book.Better BatteryBoth new Paperwhite devices get 2 weeks of extra battery life, making this the most long-lived Kindle Amazon has ever produced. This is another place where the Colorfast is a victim of its own newnessthat color screen knocks the battery life down to a measly 8 weeks.Most often, I read before bed, which means that even if my Kindle's battery is low, I'm most likely going to forget to plug it in when I wake up in the morning. If I can put off having to charge for 3 months, that's a very good thing. What's nice is that the Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition charge fast.Got a wireless charging dock already? The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is compatible!Anthony KarczOf course, I could solve this by picking up a wireless charging dock since the Signature Edition also adds wireless charging to the mix. You can also just drop it on a convenient Qi charger to get a boost.Faster ResponseSpeaking of boosts, the latest Kindle Paperwhite devices boast 20% faster response timewhich I honestly tried to test but I had trouble figuring out where that boost was discernible. Page turn time was already nearly-instantaneous. I will say that using the current gen Signature Edition feels generally snappier than the 2021 version.All the non-reading things that have a tendency to bog down like scrolling through your library or loading the Kindle Store is super smooth. Launching a new book may be a teeny, tiny bit faster? But again, we're talking about something that was already measured in single-digit seconds, so shaving a second off is barely noticeable.I will say this, a faster processor gives your device more overhead to maintain performance over time. Especially if Amazon is going to keep a multi-year cadence between hardware refreshes, it's better to have more speed available, even if you aren't using it.Ultimate Reading SatisfactionYou could also just not cover up this gorgeous color.Anthony KarczOhand the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is still waterproof, which is welcome news for all of you that are reading poolside or at the beach (or are just prone to spilling your tea while reading). Plus, if you're a fan of audiobooks, the Signature Edition has double the memory of a standard Paperwhite (I mean, you can try to fill that memory with standard books but I've not yet been able to).The Paperwhite Signature Edition also has auto-adjusting brightness, which is something that you will one hundred percent, absolutely, miss the first time you open a different e-book reader in a darkened bedroom and the brightness is turned all the way up. It has the amber shift as well for nighttime reading, making it a perfect bedtime companion.All this to say, I would be completely lost without my Kindle. It is the one piece of technology that I use every single week without fail. It's the way I consume 90% of the books I read (I was going to say "literature" here, but let's be honest, a Kindle is a great way to read SJM "romantasy" on the plane without anyone knowing). Whenever Amazon makes a new version of their top-tier e-reader, it always jumps into my personal top 3 best hardware of the year ranking.This year is no different.Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is the best e-reader your money can buy. It has absolutely everything you need to deliver a perfectly optimized reading experience no matter where or how you read. If you value reading (and you get your e-books from Amazon), you must have it. There's no better option.Check out the Amazon site for more information (and keep your eyes peeled for Black Friday sales).

Non-Terrestrial Networks panel discussion at 5G Techritory 2024Will TownsendThis year marked my sixth anniversary participating in 5G Techritory. Based in the beautiful Latvian city of Riga, the events mission is to highlight innovative use cases that leverage the power of 5G, AI, mixed reality and more while also fostering collaboration between government and private industry. These efforts over the years have culminated in many creative applications that are transforming financial services, transportation, healthcare and public safety within the European Union and beyond.The program was much the same in October at this years 5G Techritory. I would like to share my insights from visiting the Freeport of Riga for a 5G technical demonstration before the conference started and then attending keynotes and breakouts and hosting panel discussions during the event.Breaking The 5G IceUpon my arrival in Riga after a very long set of flights, I crossed the length of the city to spend time with port services provider LVR Flote and mobile network operator LMT Innovations at the Freeport of Riga. My objective was to learn more about a proof-of-concept aimed at enabling an icebreaker vessel with 5G connectivity.Port operations are a frequently cited use case for 5G, which makes sense given the complexity of operations in the movement of vessels and tracking of cargo containers, as well as the need to provide connectivity over expanses of open water to ensure safe and efficient operations. However, what is intriguing about this use case is that LMT is providing the spectrum, infrastructure and integration to enable a ship-to-ship hop architecture that can facilitate a cellular mesh network in the middle of an ocean in the absence of traditional backhaul and radio access networks.The icebreaker vessel demonstration highlighted a fully self-contained private 5G networka small rack that incorporates core routing functionality, a massive MIMO antenna array and a console to manage functionality. In the future, plans include reducing the rack footprint and power requirements, ruggedizing the enclosure and enhancing the management interface to simplify operations. From my perspective, its an innovative proof-of-concept that can transform maritime communications as well as modernize on-ship functionality through Voice over 5G New Radio communications, aquatic and aerial drone operational control and more.MORE FOR YOUKeynote And Breakout Session ThemesAs in years past, this years 5G Techritory event spanned two days and was filled with keynote presentations, breakout sessions and developer workshops. From my perspective, five themes emerged from the conference:Non-terrestrial networks NTNs, including geosynchronous and low earth orbit satellite constellations, are increasingly being considered as a complement to terrestrial 5G networks to provide connectivity in rural and remote areas. Discussions at the event highlighted NTNs role in enhancing road safety and mobility, enabling continuous connectivity for autonomous vehicles and supporting cross-border data transfer for logistics.Industry and policy alignment The conference highlighted the significance of cooperation among industry stakeholders, regulatory bodies and the public sector in establishing standards and policies that promote innovation while guaranteeing security and fairness in deploying 5G, next-generation AI frameworks and more. I believe that this alignment is crucial for driving scale and fostering global innovation.5G use cases and innovation Participants shared various use cases that demonstrated the power of 5Gs low latency, high throughput, massive device support and enhanced encryption. Applications included smart city deployments, remote healthcare and industrial automation, among many others.Sustainability and infrastructure development In response to increased digital demand, there was a strong focus at the conference on building energy-efficient 5G infrastructure and sustainable networks. To no ones surprise, this included discussions about flexible systems such as Open RAN that allow for cost-effective and adaptable network management.The future of 6G and beyond While 5G remains a primary focus, likely for the next five years, discussions at the event centered on the early-stage vision for 6G, exploring how future networks could further support AI-driven applications, ultra-high bandwidth requirements and the additional sustainability considerations raised by power-hungry generative AI workloads.Panel Discussion HighlightsI had the privilege of leading two panel discussions at 5G Techritory and would like to share insights from one that discussed how NTNs could possibly revolutionize road connectivity by filling in gaps in traditional 5G terrestrial networks. Autonomous navigation has huge potential to mitigate traffic congestion and improve driver safety, as evidenced by early demonstrations from Tesla and others, but it is highly dependent on consistent and reliable connectivity. During our discussion, my fellow panelists and I debated how NTNs could be used to provide continuous backhaul coverage along highways and rural roadways, and in other remote areas where traditional network tower deployments are not feasible based on cost and population density.We also discussed opportunities to support V2X, which enables vehicles to communicate with each other, to infrastructure and to other devices and sensors embedded in roadways. NTNs have the potential to enable vehicles to remain connected across vast distances, which is crucial for enhancing safety features, traffic management and autonomous driving capabilities. Our conclusion was unanimous: once LEO satellite constellations from the likes of AST SpaceMobile, Starlink and others are in production, they will play a pivotal role in revolutionizing driver safety and autonomous operation.Furthermore, NTNs offer the opportunity to facilitate cross-border connectivity, which is essential for seamless international transportation and logistics. During our discussion, we speculated that the European Space Agency and the 5G Automotive Association could collaborate to ensure connectivity across borders without disruptions, which is a key need for freight transport and long-haul logistics, especially in the EU. NTNs can bridge the gaps where terrestrial networks vary or are less reliable, making cross-border logistics smoother and more operationally efficient. These developments underscore the ongoing collaboration between satellite and terrestrial providers to shape a robust ecosystem for road mobility, enhancing both safety and efficiency in the connected transportation industry.Reaching Beyond Connectivity5G Techritory 2024 hit the mark in providing a stage for discussing the merits of bringing 5G and eventually 6G, NTNs, AI and mixed reality together to birth new use cases, foster global economic growth and accelerate innovation. I have seen the conference mature over the last several years, outgrowing its singular connectivity roots.With that in mind, organizers announced at the conclusion of this years event a rebrand to simply Techritory. Its a wise move, in my opinion, one that sets up the event to explore new technologies and infrastructure stacks and in the process help foster innovation in Europe and the rest of the world.

Hackers have turned to snail mail as a malware distribution method.gettyUpdate, Nov. 19, 2024: This story, originally published Nov. 18 now includes new advice from security professionals relating to the use of QR codes in cyber attacks.In what I can only describe as a first in my decades of real-world experience covering cyber attacks of all shapes and sizes, cyber criminals have turned to decidedly old technology to distribute malware according to this new warning from the Swiss National Cyber Security Centre: snail mail. Yes, you read that right. It appears that good old-fashioned paper letters posted in envelopes with stamps on them, are being used as the starting point in a bunch of new phishing cyber attacks. Heres what we know.Hackers Are Using Printed QR Codes Sent By Snail Mail In Latest Swiss Cyber AttacksAs first reported by The Register, the Swiss National Cyber Security Center has issued a warning to citizens of Switzerland after cyber attacks employing the physical postal service were uncovered. The letters, posted using what we used to call snail mail in the early days of email, purport to have been sent by MeteoSwiss, the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology. The letters are, of course, fake. However, the QR code that is printed on them with so-called advice to download a severe weather warning app, is very real indeed. As is the threat posed to anyone who should do so.The app itself is designed to look similar to the genuine Alertswiss app that comes from the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection. However, rather than alert the user to danger, the app is the danger in and of itself. The QR code, if scanned using the recipients smartphone, will download malware by the name of Coper, also known as Octo2. Once installed, this will attempt to steal sensitive data from apps already loaded on the device, including banking apps, the Swiss NCSC said.QR Code Postal Cyber Attacks Look To Exploit Lack Of Ingrained SuspicionDelivering QR code letters physically via Switzerlands postal service is an effective way for criminals to catch out unsuspecting victims, Mike Britton, chief information officer at Abnormal Security, said, by pretending to be a trusted source, threat actors are banking on the lack of caution that recipients may have.MORE FOR YOUAccording to Britton, as a relatively new attack vector these kind of QR code scams simply dont have the kind of ingrained suspicion that people might increasingly apply to other, more traditional, phishing techniques.Just as weve seen in the UK with a recent Winter fuel payments scam, attackers are seeing success in imitating trusted sources in a timely manner, Britton warned, unlike on the web where you can use automated solutions to catch out phishing attempts, these attacks will be solely down to the individual to catch out.Snail Mail Cyber Attacks Only Target Android UsersThe good news is that these cyber attacks are only targeting people and businesses within Switzerland. The better news, for Swiss iPhone users at least, is that they are also only targeting Android smartphone users.The Swiss NCSC advised that anyone who has received such a letter from these new cyber attacks and already downloaded the app should reset their device to factory settings to remove all trace of it.I can only assume that, if these cyber attacks have been successful enough, other threat actors in other countries will try to repeat them. In which case, the advice to ignore such letters and only download apps from official app stores applies to everyone reading this.

Two-step phishing attacks aren't going awaygettyUpdate, Nov. 19, 2024: This story, originally published Nov. 17 now includes new reports of other tactics that are increasingly being used by threat actors in phishing cyber attacks.Just as security professionals will tell you that layered defensive strategies are the best when it comes to staving off successful attacks, so attackers will often look to precisely the same when executing their cyber attacks. Two-step phishing attacks have, in the words of security researchers from Perception Point, become a cornerstone of modern cybercrime, leveraging trusted platforms to deliver malicious content in layers to evade detection. Everything changes, but everything stays the same. Those same researchers have warned of a new attack methodology employing such 2SP tactics but involving Microsoft Visio files as a new evasion tactic. Heres what you need to look out for and what steps you can take to mitigate the risk of falling victim to these new 2SP cyber attacks, and why you shouldnt hold down the Ctrl key when asked.Two-Step Cyber Attacks Are The Pinnacle Of Phishing By DesignA new analysis published by Peleg Cabra, the product marketing manager at Perception Point, has revealed how security researcher Ariel Davidpurthe use of Microsoft Visio .vsdx format files to evade detection during credential stealing cyber attacks.Because Visio is a commonly used tool employed in the workplace to help visualize complex data or workflows, the use of .vsdx format files fits nicely into the threat actor strategy of harmless familiarity being at the heart of many a phishing attack. Now, the Perception Point researchers said, the exact same files are being weaponized in the delivery of malicious URLs as part of a two-step phishing attack scenario: drop the lure, set the trap.Describing what they referred to as a dramatic increase in two-step phishing attacks leveraging .vsdx files, the security researchers explained how the cyber attacks represented a sophistication of two-step phishing tactics, targeting hundreds of organizations worldwide with a new layer of deception designed to evade detection and exploit user trust.Evolution Of The Two-Step Phishing Cyber AttacksIf such a warning were necessary, here it comes: email account security is vital if cyber attacks such as these latest two-step phishing ones are to be stopped. Why so? Because, the researchers said, they started with threat actors leveraging breached email accounts in order to send emails that pass basic authentication checks as they come from genuine domains.These emails will contain a common phishing component designed to lure the recipient into the trap: a business proposal or a purchase order, accompanied by an urgent request to view and respond to. Of course, when the victim does just that, and click the URL, they get led to the trap itself: an often-compromised Microsoft SharePoint page itself, but whatever one that is hosting a .vsdx Viso file. The layers of the cyber attack start unraveling at this point, with another URL embedded in that file and behind what the researchers described as a clickable call-to-action, most commonly a view document button.Please Hold Down The Ctrl Key Is An Instruction In These Newly Uncovered 2SP Cyber AttacksThis is where these 2SP cyber attacks get really clever, although I hate applying that word to cybercriminals. To access the embedded URL, victims are instructed to hold down the Ctrl key and click, the Perception Point researchers said, a subtle yet highly effective action designed to evade email security scanners and automated detection tools. By asking for this human interaction, the attackers hope to bypass automated systems that dont expect such a behavior in an attack.The victim is now redirected to another fake page, this time one that looks for all intents and purposes to be a Microsoft 365 portal login page which is designed, of course, to steal user credentials. There is no mention in the Perception Point report of this step including a session cookie compromise tactic, which means that one way to stop it from being successful would be to have robust two-factor authentication in place for the account that is being targeted in such cyber attacks.Scalable Vector Graphics Are Deployed In New Cyber AttacksHeres HowA new report by Lawrence Abrams, the editor-in-chief at Bleeping Computer, threat actors are increasingly using another clever tactic involving the use of scalable vector graphics as attachments during the deployment of phishing cyber attacks. This technique is designed to either display malicious forms to the victim, or deploy malware directly, both while evading detection by security software. The tactic relies on the fact that unlike pixel-constructed images, scalable vector graphics are created using a mathematical formula that instructs how lines, shapes and text should be displayed on the screen. Security researcher MalwareHunterTeam, told Bleeping Computer how threat actors are using the fact that SVG attachments can display HTML and execute JavaScript when the image itself is being loaded. The clever bit is that these are used to create credential-stealing forms. Abrams demonstrated how such a technique could display an Excel spreadsheet that comes complete with an embedded login form to send credentials to the threat actor deploying the cyber attacks. It has been noted, however, that other cyber attacks employ JavaScript embedded within the SVG attachments to redirect browsers to sites hosted by the threat actors when opening the image itself.Mitigating SVG Attachment Cyber AttacksThe problem is that since these files are mostly just textual representations of images, Abrams said, they tend not to be detected by security software that often. This means that the last line of defense is the same as the first: you, the human being. Ask yourself why you would be getting an attachment in scalable vector graphics format in the first place, if these are not commonplace within your workflow. If you are a developer or someone else who is used to seeing SVG attachments, then ask yourself who is sending them and whether this is normal behavior for them. Treat all emails that come with an SVG attachment as suspicious, and that way, you might just save yourself and your organization from falling victim to these phishing cyber attacks.Tackling Cyber Attacks During International Fraud Week 2024International Fraud Week is taking place this year between Nov. 17 and 23, with the aim to promote anti-fraud awareness and education globally. There is no doubt that technology provides both a powerful weapon and equally has the potential to mitigate fraud which is often the ultimate payload of many cyber attacks. With that in mind, what better time to examine the new forms of fraud facing businesses from the cyber side of the threat fence. The instruction to hold down the Ctrl key when clicking on a link during the two-step phishing attack detailed above is one such example, but there are many more.As Muhammad Yahya Patel, lead security engineer at Check Point Software, pointed out, the advancement of technology has empowered both legitimate industries and cybercriminals alike, which makes fraud prevention simultaneously more critical and complex. From cyber fraud and internal fraud to increasingly sophisticated scams like CEO fraud and AI-driven schemes, Patel said, the landscape of business fraud is both diverse and evolving.While the trajectory of cyber fraud has undoubtedly evolved alongside advancements in technology, some might even say it has overtaken the technological trend line, understanding what the main fraud categories, the most prevelant cyber attacks, are is essential in being able to defend against their impact.Patel suggests the following six categroies need to be on your awareness list:Cyber Fraud: The use of phishing, malware, and ransomware remains prevalent. Cybercriminals target sensitive data and disrupt business operations.Internal Fraud: A significant threat from within, internal fraud involves fraudulent actions by employees, including document falsification, embezzlement, and theft.Invoice Fraud: Fraudsters send fake invoices to businesses, hoping theyll be processed without scrutiny.CEO Fraud: Often referred to as business email compromise (BEC), fraudsters pose as high-ranking executives to trick employees into transferring funds or sharing sensitive informationReturn Fraud: Especially common in retail, return fraud occurs when customers exploit return policies for financial gain.Payroll Fraud: When employees manipulate payroll systems for personal gain, it can lead to unexpected financial losses.A Shift Away From Generic To Targeted Cyber AttacksRansomware is an excellent example of how a threat evolves over time and, as a result, becomes much more dangerous. Ransomware started as a totally untargeted type of cyber attack that took a scattergun approach to malware distribution. By sending as many infected emails to as wide an audience as possible, regardless of ability to pay or value of data held, the threat actors hoped enough victims would bite to make it profitable. Almost inevitably, the attackers making the most money were the ones who realized that strategic targeting of those with the most to lose and the biggest bank balances rose to the top. This ended up changing the entire ransomware landscape to one where sophisticated reconnaissance methods, infiltrating systems over extended periods and extracting sensitive data to leverage against individuals or companies in double-extortion schemes became the norm. This heightened level of personalization makes it harder to detect and often more devastating, Patel said, as cyber fraud grows in sophistication, our defenses must evolve accordingly. With AI enhancing the reach and impact of fraud, organisations must adopt security that is equally dynamic, leveraging AI-powered solutions to outpace and outsmart attackers. There can be little arguing that building a resilient defense against cyber attacks not only prevents fraud but, as Patel concludes, fosters a safer, more trusted environment for all."

Here's some help with today's Quordle, including hints and the answers.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Mondays Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here:Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for todays Quordle words are just ahead.How To Play QuordleFor any newcomers joining us, heres how to play Quordle: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to find them all. The catch is that you play all four words simultaneously.If you get a letter in the right place for any of the four words, it will light up in green. If a word contains a letter from one of your guesses but its in the wrong place, it will appear in yellow. You could always check out the practice games before taking on the daily puzzle.Here are some hints for todays Quordle game, followed by the answers:What Are Todays Quordle Hints?Word 1 (top left) hint also known as a shinobiWord 2 (top right) hint one-hundredth of a British poundWord 3 (bottom left) hint the area of an NBA court in front of the basket that doesnt have a wood-colored finishWord 4 (bottom right) hint force onto anotherTwo of the words each have a pair of repeated lettersTodays words start with N, P, P and FMORE FOR YOUWhat Are Todays Quordle Answers?Spoiler alert! Dont scroll any further down the page until youre ready to find out todays Quordle answers.This is your final warning!Todays words are...NINJAPENCEPAINTFOISTThats all there is to it for todays Quordle clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Wednesdays game if you need them.

Speeding towards Earth, meteors from the Geminid meteor shower streak across the sky above the ... [+] Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSFs NOIRLab, in Arizona.KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks (NSFs NOIRLab)Is there a meteor showre tonight? The Geminids, the northern hemispheres most spectacular meteor shower of the year, has begun and there are some good reasons why you should see them as soon as you can.Everyones heard of the Perseids in August, but the years most reliable annual meteor shower is Decembers Geminids, which run from Nov. 19 through Dec. 24, peaking overnight on Dec. 13 through Dec. 14.The maximum number of shooting stars per hour its possible to see on peak night is 120, making the Geminid meteor shower the strongest of the year, but with a full moon on Dec. 15, there will a bright moon-bleached sky during the peak.Heres everything you need to know about 2024s Geminid meteor shower.Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: When Is It?The Geminids are named after the constellation Gemini because thats where its shooting stars appear to come from. Astronomers call it the radiant point.In 2024 the Geminid meteor shower will last for six weeks and peak during the late evening/early morning hours of Dec. 13-14. Its been visible since the mid-19th century.MORE FOR YOUIts the most prolific of all the meteor showers in the calendar, with up to 120 shooting stars potentially visible each hour around the peak. Geminids can appear in the night sky as bright streaks of mostly yellow, but also white and, if youre lucky, even green. They move at a pedestrian 21 miles (34 kilometers) per second), according to the American Meteor Society.The asteroid 3200 Phaethon completes an orbit around the Sun every 1.4 years. Its path is highly ... [+] elongated, much like a comet's. Perhaps it is an extinct comet, or maybe it's a true asteroid that is cracking and shedding rocky bits when closest to the Sun. In fact, it's most commonly called a "rock comet."Sky & Telescope diagramGeminid Meteor Shower 2024: CausesAll shooting stars are caused by meteoroids striking the Earths atmosphere. As they do, they energize and heat up, releasing that energy as light.The Geminids are a unique meteor shower in the annual calendar because the source of the meteoroids is an asteroid rather than a comet. The meteorites that become shooting stars when they strike Earths atmosphere were left in the solar system by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years. After its discovery in 1983, it was noticed that Phaethons orbit matched that of the Geminid debris trail around the sun.According to NASA, Phaethon nevertheless behaves like a comet, brightening and forming a sodium gas tail when its near the sun. Thats because its surface gets so hot that sodium inside Phaethons rock likely vaporizes into space.Geminid meteors can flash into view anywhere in the late-night sky. But if you follow their paths ... [+] back far enough, they all appear to diverge from a point in the constellation Gemini. The meteors' perspective point of origin is called the shower's radiant. Don't expect to see several meteors at once! This diagram is meant only to show their divergence from the radiant point.Sky & Telescope diagramGeminid Meteor Shower 2024: DetailsHow can you see a shooting star during the Geminid Meteor Shower 2024? Look vaguely the southeastern sky after dark from 22:00 during the first week of December and again from Dec. 22. Although the moon will be too bright between First Quarter (Dec. 8) and Third Quarter (Dec. 22), this is the one major shower of the year that provides good activity before midnight, according to the International Meteor Organization, because the radiant point in Gemini will be high in the sky.From the southern hemisphere, the Geminids are not such a big deal. They are sometimes visible, but since Gemini is low in the northeastern night sky, the rates of shooting stars are lower and they occur after midnight.Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: How To WatchTo see any shooting stars during the Geminid meteor shower you will need a cloud-free sky. If that happens, it will likely be a cold night, so wrap up warm and take regular breaks. Have a hot drink nearby and dont stay outside for more than an hour at a time.An observing location away from light pollution is ideal, but failing that, keep any lights out of your eyes. That includes white light from the screen of a smartphone and any other devices.The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Destiny 2BungieIt feels like the old days, complaining about a specific system inside Destiny 2, a staple of my ten years of coverage. This time around, its what Bungie has done with the process to get new exotic armor when its introduced each season, and how it is bad for all types of players.Destiny 2 has changed this system from playing Expert and Master Lost Sectors, which would reward the exotic as your first drop, if you had the other exotics in that category, after a bit of grind. Too much of a grind, at times. Many people did not love this.But the new system is inarguably worse, as you are now asked to grind Master Rahools new rank to max level one time by decrypting engrams. Prime engrams and normal exotic engrams give you paltry progress. The more directly you focus them, which at the top level requires you to burn high-end materials, the faster it progresses. Then and only then can you focus another exotic engram into the newly released exotic.This is bad for both new and veteran players. New players, because this system is essentially not remotely explained in the game whatsoever as a path toward the newest armor, buried behind a vendor and three different pages of decrypting, and even then, it does not fully explain what to do. Plus, as a new player, you are not going to know all the most efficient sources to collect exotic engrams, and you are not going to have the Ascendant Shards to burn on focusing them for progress.Destiny 2BungieMORE FOR YOUThis is also not good or enjoyable for veteran players. At this point you probably not only have all the other exotics, meaning you are burning all your engrams on random stuff rather than saving them to focus for the actual new armor, but you also probably have good rolls or masterworked versions of the armor you use frequently. So further focusing on most things feels unnecessary and again, just a tax on Ascendant Shards.This is bad, I dont know how else to say it. I say sure, put them back in Lost Sectors as a start, but that also wasnt great. There should also be a chance for these exotics to either randomly decrypt from turn-ins, or they should be able to have a drop chance on activity completion like we see with exotic catalysts these days. I am open to other ideas but this Rahool rank system is probably one of the worst options I can think of.There are enough grinds in Destiny 2 where no one, new players or old, needs to be farming and focusing dozens of exotic engrams to get three new pieces of armor that most will want to use from the start. There are many, many better ways to do this, and even if Lost Sectors (and that one random Neomuna event) were not it, Bungie needs to keep iterating here.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

AhsokaDisneyAs we know, Disney is struggling quite a bit more on its Star Wars side than its Marvel side these days. That has lately meant a mess of a situation about if theyre ever going to make a Star Wars movie again with delayed timelines and cancelled projects. But the TV side isnt going so great either, with miniseries ending, shows cancelled and almost no series returning for season 2. One is Andor, which was always planned, the other is Ahsoka. And information about Ahsoka season 2 paints a picture of a wild gap between seasons.According to a new report from DanielRPK, confirming past reports saying something similar, Ahsoka season 2 may begin filming in April 2025, almost six months from now. What does that mean?Ahsoka season 1 premiered on August 22, 2023, meaning the season 2 is not even going to start filming until 19 months after that show released, an absurd gap.Ahsoka season 1 began filming in May of 2022, meaning it took 15 months to make it to release.As such, if Ahsoka season 2 begins filming in April 2025, 15 months after that would be July 2028, and that is one month less than three years since season 1 premiered.AhsokaDisneyGranted yes, streaming is now in a space with generally long gaps between seasons. Only a few shows manage to do the formerly typical one year in between seasons, and most now do 18 months, or two years. That still feels very long. Three years? Thats exhausting. Granted, this is not the only show with that long of a timetable. Somehow Netflix is going to take three years to get out Wednesday season 2, but in this era of confused Disney Star Wars content and scheduling, it seems like even more of a problem that this is happening.This has not happened to this extent with Disneys other Star Wars shows, as the ones with more than one season are under three years. The first two seasons of The Mandalorian actually released under a year apart, but then delays (namely Pedro Pascal filming The Last of Us), led the gap between the second and third season to be just under two and a half years. The gap between the two seasons of Andor will be two and a half years exactly. Not great, but clearly Ahsoka is the worst example here.MORE FOR YOUDisney needs to get a handle on both its budgets (The Acolytes $180 million was nuts) and its release scheduling. These shows are disjointed and the ones that are returning are distant memories by the time they come back. Something needs to change.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

Discover the game-changing approach to using ChatGPT that transforms generic AI responses into ... [+] powerful, personalized business solutions.Adobe StockI believe ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can help pretty much any business. With a low-cost subscription or even simply using free tools, advanced AI assistance that would have seemed the stuff of science fiction just a few short years ago is within reach of anyone.Without specific information, though, the advice and output that these genAI tools give can be very formulaic and mundane.Simply ask it to write me a blog on subject X or create a business plan for my Y business and youll see what I mean.The problem is that by default, it doesnt know enough about you or your business and its specific challenges to create anything very usefulLuckily, theres a way to ensure it has the information it needs to give you very specialized, specific advice thats relevant to your opportunities and challenges. Get it to ask you what it needs to know.With that in mind, here are a few prompts that can be used to get AI to help you with everyday business tasks, but in a way thats customized and personal to you. Of course, you can use these as they are or personalize them further to make them even more relevant to your own situation and challenges.Either way, they all make good jumping-in points for anyone wanting to start putting AI to work for them in a personalized way:Review Compliance Regulations Around A ProjectMORE FOR YOUI need you to help me create a list of all my compliance and regulatory obligations around a project I am planning. Please ask me questions, one at a time, to get all of the information you need to know. Then create a step-by-step, prioritized list of actions I need to take in order to ensure I am fully compliant.Understand Cybersecurity Requirements I need your help understanding all of the steps I need to take in order to ensure my business is protected against cybersecurity threats. Please ask me questions about my business, one at a time, to get all of the information you need. When you are ready, please create a step-by-step strategy for implementing cybersecurity measures in a way thats specifically relevant to my business.Create A Social Media Marketing CampaignPlease help me create five social media posts optimized to generate maximum engagement. First, ask any questions, one at a time, you need in order to understand my business, our products and services, and our branding and messaging. Its important you understand who our customers are and our brands voice, tone and style. When you have enough information, please draft the posts.Create A Website FAQ PageI need you to help me create a FAQ page for my company website. Please ask me questions, one at a time, to get the information you need to understand my business and customers. Then, ask me for details on any specific questions that I frequently encounter. When you have enough information, please generate a list of questions and answers in an FAQ format suitable for use on our company website.Write A Business Plan For Use In Applying For Loans And FinancingPlease help me write a business plan designed to maximize my chances of success when applying to banks or investors for loans or funding. Format the plan in a way that you think is best in order to optimally present the information clearly and concisely. Ask me questions, one at a time, to get all of the information you need to generate the plan. When you have all the information needed, go ahead and draft the plan.Create A Customized Blog Post Relevant To Your AudiencePlease help me create a blog post introducing my products or services to my online audience. Ask me questions about myself, my business, products/services, my customer base, and what I hope to achieve with the blog post in order to get all of the information you need to create a post that is informative, engaging, and optimized to achieve my aims.Creating Your Own Personalized PromptsAs you can probably see, by following this formula, its possible to get ChatGPT (or whatever chatbot you prefer) to create personalized help, advice, and plans for just about any business task.Asking it what information it needs means you can guarantee that youll always get more useful responses than simply expecting it to rely on whatever it already knows.Mastering this technique will take you a step closer to leveraging the full potential of generative AI when it comes to assisting with everyday business tasks, helping you save time, money and effort.

Dyshidrosis, also known as acute vesiculobullous hand eczema, is an irritation of the hands or feet, ... [+] characterized by blisters on the skin. (Photo by: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIndustrialization might have spurred economic development and technological advancements in some parts of the world but it has also left billions of people breathing in polluted air. While air pollution is most commonly associated with respiratory issues, a new study has found that it might also wreak havoc on your skin. The study findings revealed that people who live in places with high levels of air pollution are more likely to have eczema. They particularly identified fine particulate matter as a risk factor. Particulate matter pollution refers to a combination of soil or dust particles, acids, organic chemicals, and metals floating around in the lower atmosphere of any region.The prevalence of eczema has increased with industrialization. Industrial practices generate ambient air pollution, including fine particulate matter of diameter less than 2.5m (PM2.5), the researchers wrote in the study. The odds of eczema increased with greater PM2.5 concentration in our large, diverse, adult American cohort. Ambient air pollution is an environmental hazard that influences inflammatory skin disease.The researchers analyzed the data of 286,862 adults from the All of UsBoth PM2.5-exposed skin cells and skin of patients with eczema exhibit oxidative damage. Our finding of an approximately two-fold increased risk of eczema per 10 g/m3 rise in PM2.5 is clinically relevant as well as actionable, as the United States Environmental Protection Agencys Air Quality Index (AQI), they explained.Individuals with eczema may be at elevated risk for disease exacerbation or acute flares when AQI reaches the moderate category (12.135.4 g/m3 ) compared to the good category (0-12 g/m3), with risk increasing at even higher AQI, the authors added. When AQI reaches levels of moderate or worse, patients may be advised to stay indoors, filter indoor air, or cover exposed skin outdoors.MORE FOR YOUThe study was published in PLoS One on November 13, 2024.According to the World Health Organization, ambient air pollution exposure was associated with 4.2 million deaths in 2019. Prior studies have reported that high concentrations of PM2.5 and particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10) in the air could also lead to the development and exacerbation of atopic dermatitis, skin aging, and skin allergies.In a 2021 study published in the Annals of Dermatology, researchers based in South Korea highlighted that increased particulate matter concentrations might contribute to facial redness and uneven skin tone even in healthy human skin."As the largest outermost surface of the human body, the skin is constantly exposed to the environment. Overall, particulate matter is related to inflammatory skin diseases via skin barrier dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation," wrote a group of Chinese researchers in a 2023 study."The effects of antioxidants, vitamin D, and microbiota regulation strategies on inflammatory diseases caused by PM are beneficial," they added.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: Jake Paul prepares in the locker room at LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul ... [+] vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix 2024)Getty Images for Netflix 2024Jake Paul easily out-boxed 58-year-old Mike Tyson in the main event of a historic live sports extravaganza on Netflix on Friday. Now, another boxing legend says hed be interested in entertaining an offer to fight Paul.Former light heavyweight, super middleweight, and pound-for-pound champion Andre Ward has said hed talk about a fight with Paul. However, Paul has to say my name, Ward said, to start things.Ward said this while he went live on Instagram as he was walking back to his hotel from AT&T Stadium after the Tyson-Paul fight. Ward was a part of Netflixs massive crossover panel.In the video, he gives his take on the fight but discusses what it would take for him to come out of retirement for a scrap with Paul.Ward retired at the age of 33 back in 2017.While the 40-year-old is considered an all-time great, Id contend he is one of the most underrated fighters of the past 30 years. The Oakland, California native walked away from the sport with a record of 32-0 with 16 KOs. As a professional, Ward scored victories over world champions like Sergey Kovalev (twice), Sakio Bika, Carl Froch, Chad Dawson, Arthur Abraham, and Mikkel Kessler.MORE FOR YOUWard won the Super Six World Boxing Classic for 168-pounders, which saw him solidify his place among the elite fighters of his generation. As an amateur, Ward won an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games. He is the last American male to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.Ward is now the chief content officer for All The Smoke Sports, a fast-rising YouTube-based platform that spun off from Showtime Sports. On the ATSS YouTube channel, Ward hosts an interview show that has already had major guests like Terence Crawford, Eddie Hearn, Devin Haney, and others. While not nearly as famous as Tyson, Ward is well known, and his current platform could provide enough push to get Paul to entertain the fight.The one issue folks who are hoping to see the clash is the risk factor. Paul has been highly selective with opponents in his boxing career. Hes only fought three active boxers in his professional career and is 2-1 against those opponents. Paul scored KO wins over Andre August and Ryan Bourland but lost a split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. While Ward hasnt fought since 2017, he still might be the favorite over Paul.Ward has seemingly stayed in excellent shape despite his absence from the ring. He was also one of the slickest and most technically sound boxers in the world. Unless his skills have vastly eroded, he would be far and away the best fighter Paul will have faced. Would Paul risk taking a loss against a 40-year-old retired fightereven one as good and respected as Ward? I have my doubts. It seems more likely Paul fruitlessly chases a fight with Canelo Alvarez.Despite the easy and massive payday Canelo could take home, it doesnt seem possible he will take Pauls bait. Well wait to see if Paul picks up what Ward is putting down.

Here's some help with today's Quordle, including hints and the answers.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Sundays Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here:Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for todays Quordle words are just ahead.How To Play QuordleFor any newcomers joining us, heres how to play Quordle: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to find them all. The catch is that you play all four words simultaneously.If you get a letter in the right place for any of the four words, it will light up in green. If a word contains a letter from one of your guesses but its in the wrong place, it will appear in yellow. You could always check out the practice games before taking on the daily puzzle.Here are some hints for todays Quordle game, followed by the answers:What Are Todays Quordle Hints?Word 1 (top left) hint a type of neck scarf. Also, the location of a famous English racecourseWord 2 (top right) hint the edge of a cliffWord 3 (bottom left) hint something strange or uncannyWord 4 (bottom right) hint Bart, Lisa and Maggies dadNone of the words have a pair of repeated lettersTodays words start with A, B, W and HMORE FOR YOUWhat Are Todays Quordle Answers?Spoiler alert! Dont scroll any further down the page until youre ready to find out todays Quordle answers.This is your final warning!Todays words are...ASCOTBRINKWEIRDHOMERThats all there is to it for todays Quordle clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Tuesdays game if you need them.

Looking for help with today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle? Here are some hints and answers for the ... [+] puzzle.Credit: NYTIn case you missed Saturdays NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here:Its been a chilly weekend, and Im hoping for warmer weather to see us through the week. Its still autumn, and Im not ready for winter just yet. Theres plenty of time for cold and grey and snow. Lets have some of the white fluffy stuff on Christmas, how about? For now, Id like to solve all my word puzzles in cool autumnal air. Speaking of which, lets solve todays NYT Mini Crossword!The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, its free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though youll need the app to tackle the archive.One good tactic with crossword puzzles is to try to get as many ACROSS as possible first and then youll find a lot of the DOWN are already doneor vice versa if the ones ACROSS are trickier.While some of todays words are pretty simple, some might have you stumped. Youll find the answers below. Spoilers ahead, obviously. Skip ahead for the image of todays solved puzzle.MORE FOR YOUACROSS1 ___ Martin, frequent collaborator with 1-Down STEVE6 Parts of irrigation systems HOSES7 Beginning ONSET8 Backup camera's place on a car REAR9 Make an attempt TRYDOWN1 Martin ___, frequent collaborator with 1-Across SHORT2 Stuff in a printer cartridge TONER3 Common kind of test for a literature class ESSAY4 Make a sudden turn VEER5 Jokey suffix with best ESTToday's MiniScreenshot: Erik KainThis was the easiest Mini Crossword Ive done in a hot minute, though thats largely because 1-Across and 1-Down were so obvious, especially if youve been watching Only Murders In The Building. From here, most everything was either pretty simple or filled itself in. Im not really sure about 5-Down but I didnt need to be since I got everything else around it filled in. This took me 1:19. I was slowed down by accidentally switching from Across to Down and vice versa a few times.How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy Unpacked 2024, London, United Kingdom EWAN SPENCESamsungs upcoming Galaxy S25 family of smartphones will be some of the most powerful smartphones to be released in 2025. And new details on the specifications suggest that this power will be available to everyone, no matter which S25 they buy.This has been a roller coaster few weeks for the community. With the launch of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and the news that Samsung was looking to use Qualcomms latest system-on-chip across the entire Galaxy S25 range, Galaxy fans were ready for a consistent level of performance across the portfolio.With previous Galaxy S ranges, Samsung had split the range in two, with some territories recieving a Snapdragon-equipped handset and others receiving the in-house Samsung Exynos chipset. The latter was seen as offering less performance and power. With no option to choose the alternative chipset to the official offering, the Exynos was forced on consumers who prized more power and flexibility in their handset.What Has Changed For The Galaxy S25?Earlier this month, there were signs that Samsung was considering a split Snapdragon/Exynos line-up as the Exynos 250 chipset was spotted on Geekbench as part of a Galaxy S25+ benchmarking. As with previous iterations, the numbers for the Snapdragon chipset highlighted the advantages over Exynos.This weekend, noted industry commentator and leaker IceUniverse has contributed once more to the debate, with a strongly worded note on the upcoming specifications; "I reiterate that all versions of the Galaxy S25 series in the world adopt Snapdragon 8 Elite, and will not adopt Exynos."MORE FOR YOUA Mysterious Galaxy S25 DesignIt shouldnt come as a surprise that Samsung has been testing out the Exynos chipset for the next Galaxy S handsets, although at two months before a presumed launch, it is late in the day to still be in wo minds about the release. Assuming IceUniverses confidence is not misplaced, this design could be based around the Galaxy S25+, but due for a later release.With discussions around a slimmer form factor of the Galaxy S25 to follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, we could be looking at a smartphone destined for that role rather than the mainstream role of the first S25 handsets.The push and pull of this debate will likely continue until mid-January when Samsung is expected to hold another edition of the Galaxy Unpacked events. This should include the Galaxy S reveal, alongside details on the next generation of generative artificial intelligence coming to Samsungs smartphones through Galaxy AI.Now read the latest news around Samsungs Galaxy S25, Googles Pixel 9, and Nubias Redmagic 10 Pro smartphones in this weeks Android news digest...

Arcane NetflixArcane is doing this highly unusual arc structure, where they have talked Netflix into releasing three episodes a weekend for three weekends in a row. Now, we have just gotten access to the middle three, part 2 of season 2, and while parts of it may lack the impact of the first three, that certainly cannot be said of the ending. Spoilers follow.The thrust of this middle part of Arcane season 2 is the reunion of sisters Jinx and Vi, who have been sparring most of the series, but now must come together to attempt to rescue their father, Vander, whose consciousness is trapped in the beast known as Warwick. The method to do this is to bring him to Viktor, who now has magic, Arcane-based healing powers which has created a utopian community.The problems are twofold. First, Ambessa and Singed are tracking Warwick to capture him and use him in weapon production. Second, a demented version of Jayce has re-emerged from the Arcane plane, and hes actually the one who kicks off the chaos that follows. He uses his now Arcane-warped hammer to blast a hole straight through Viktor, who dies, and then takes his entire community with him, his healing abilities evaporating with him. This also includes all the progress hes made with Warwick, who loses his Vander pieces entirely and turns into a molten monster attempting to murder everything in its path. Perhaps a nice nod to Leagues Firefang Warwick skin, but disastrous for our story here.ArcaneNetflixI remember when we first glimpsed Jinxs new little sidekick, the mute Isha (I briefly thought this was going to be a Teemo adaptation, but no), everyone believed that this felt like a character that was introduced to eventually die in a tragic way.MORE FOR YOUWelp.Yes, that is in fact what happened, but that did not make Ishas final moments any less heart-wrenching. Seeing that molten Warwick is going to kill Jinx and probably everyone else, Isha jams all the Hextech she can into Jinxs gun, and slides under Warwick, unloading what appears to be nuclear shot that definitely kills her and probably kills him too, ending the carnage. This moment happens with flashbacks to Ishas time with Jinx, and in real time, Jinx twisting her face in the most convincing looks of grief and horror Ive ever seen in an animated series.It's a horrible, brilliant scene. While Arcane has always worked on an emotional level, the rapid-fire deaths of Viktor at the hands of Jayce, Isha trying to save Jinx and Warwick right after his daughters had just (almost) gotten him back is like nothing the series has given us so far. It is no great surprise that Arcane season 2 has kept up its perfect critic reviews and sky-high audience scores, and its hard to imagine the final three episodes of the season, the series finale, wont deliver next weekend.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: (L-R) Michael Chandler of the United States of America and Charles ... [+] Oliveira of Brazil fight in a lightweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCCharles Oliveira won a somewhat lopsided unanimous decision over Michael Chandler in their rematch on Saturday night, but this was one of my favorite fights in years.Both Oliveira and Chandler had their moments in the UFC 309 co-main event, and thats especially the case for the epic fifth round. Through the first four rounds, Oliveiras surgical striking, timely takedowns, and overall fight acumen got the better of Chandler.The former champion was on his way to an easy victory heading into the fifth round. Rather than coasting and avoiding Chandler, Oliveira stood in the pocket and paid the price for his bravery. Chandler landed a huge right hand that hurt Oliveira. The Brazilian retreated and, in a desperate effort, was able to get the fight to the ground.While on the ground, Oliveira showed off his excellent recuperation gifts. He got back to his feet and then initiated a more controlled takedown. Oliveira took Chandlers back, setting up one of the more memorable Octagon moments youll see this year.Two words for you.If this was WWE, this was a match that saw the loser have a moment that would lead to their elevation moving forward. Chandler is smart.He started putting on a show once he realized he wouldn't win the fight. That backpack powerbomb was pure cinema, and it set up Chandler's epic post-fight callouts of Max Holloway and Conor McGregor.MORE FOR YOUBoth of those callouts make sense. Chandler has long been set to fight McGregor, but the latter has not returned to the Octagon.The Holloway callout is also sensible because the former featherweight champion is coming off his first stoppage loss and has permanently moved up to lightweight. A fight with Chandler could be epic, and it's appropriate for both men at this stage of their careers.Oliveira will be waiting for the winner of the upcoming title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. That fight is expected to take place in January, and Oliveira believes he has set himself up to face the winner.Oliveira has faced and lost to both men, but he's likely in a position to challenge for the championship.Here is a look at all of the results from the event.UFC 309 Results TableMain Card(c) Jon Jones def. No. 8 Stipe Miocic Via Third-Round TKONo. 2 Charles Oliveira def. No. 7 Michael Chandler Via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Viviane Araujo def. No. 5 Karine Silva Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)PrelimsMarcus McGhee def. No. 13 Jonathan Martinez Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders - CANCELEDJim Miller def. Damon Jackson Via First-Round Submission (Guillotine)David Onama def. Roberto Romero Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz Via Second-Round TKOEarly Prelims Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall Via First-Round KOOban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez Via Third-Round KOEduardo Moura def. Veronica Hardy Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28x2)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: (L-R) Stipe Miocic of the United States of America and Jon Jones ... [+] of the United States of America trade hits in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCJon Jones was dominant in the UFC 309 main event. The G.O.A.T successfully defended his heavyweight title and pounded Stipe Miocic into retirement in the process.After two-plus lopsided rounds, Jones got the finish in the third with a spinning backkick that led to the TKO win.Take a look at the finish.Jones earned one of three individual Performance of the Night.After the fight, Miocic called it a career. The 42-year-old looked slow and miles past his prime against Jones. Miocics performance makes you wonder if he should have been in the Octagon with Jones on Saturday.As it was, Miocic ended an epic career that will conclude with him being one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. In the co-main event, Charles Oliveira won a unanimous decision over Michael Chandler in their rematch. The fight was entertaining from start to finish, but the fifth round was one for the ages.After Oliveira dominated the first four rounds, Chandler landed a huge right hand in the fifth, putting the Brazilian in peril. Chandler couldnt get the finish as Oliveira recuperated and took Chandlers back to set up a memorable moment.MORE FOR YOUChandler showed off his power as he stood to his feet like a superhero and fell backward, driving his weight into his opponent.Take a look at the moment; the MSG crowd went crazy.This moment and the entire fifth round helped secure both men's Fight of the Night bonus. It was the third FOTN bonus for Oliveira and Chandler.Here is a look at all of the results from UFC 309. Every fighter who wins a bonus has a trophy emoji and a highlight of their win.UFC 309 ResultsMain Card(c) Jon Jones def. No. 8 Stipe Miocic Via Third-Round TKONo. 2 Charles Oliveira def. No. 7 Michael Chandler Via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) - Fight of the NightBo Nickal def. Paul Craig Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Viviane Araujo def. No. 5 Karine Silva Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)PrelimsMarcus McGhee def. No. 13 Jonathan Martinez Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders - CANCELEDJim Miller def. Damon Jackson Via First-Round Submission (Guillotine)David Onama def. Roberto Romero Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz Via Second-Round TKOEarly PrelimsRamiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall Via First-Round KOBrahimaj melted Gall with a huge right hand to secure a KO win during the early prelims.Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez Via Third-Round KOAfter a tactical first two rounds, Elliott showed why the UFC is so high on him. Elliott landed a powerful right hand that dropped Hafez and led to the KO win.Eduardo Moura def. Veronica Hardy Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28x2)Whats Next For the UFC?The UFC heads to Macau on November 23 with a very good card featuring newly re-signed former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan facing Deiveson Figueiredo.Here is the full card.Petr Yan vs. Deiveson FigueiredoXiaonan Yan vs. Tabatha RicciOzzy Diaz vs. Mingyang ZhangKenan Song vs. Muslim SalikhovCong Wang vs. Gabriella FernandesVolkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos UlbergCarlos Hernandez vs. Nyamjargal TumendemberelXiaocan Feng vs. Ming ShiKiru Sahota vs. Dong Hoon ChoiSu Young You vs. Balgyn JenisulyKangjie Zhu vs. Bin XieLoneer Kavanagh vs. Jose OchoaLong Xiao vs. Quang LeMaheshate Hayisaer vs. Nikolas Motta

UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (L) kicks challenger Stipe Miocic (R) during their UFC 309 ... [+] heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesJon Jones successfully defended his UFC heavyweight championship in a dominant performance. Jones destroyed Stipe Miocic, scoring a third-round KO victory that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy.Take a look at Jones finish via spinning backkick.After the fight, several current and former world champions took to social media to react to Jones victory. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos congratulated his countryman Charles Oliveira, who prevailed over Michael Chandler in the co-main event, and Jones.Former UFC mens bantamweight champion and fellow New Yorker Aljamain Sterling lauded Jones uses of the spinning back kick.Reigning mens bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili gives it up for Jones, calling him the G.O.A.T.Injured UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad suspects Jones kick broke Miocics ribs.Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill called Jones performance dominant, as usual.Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo says Jones is and will always be the G.O.A.T.Interestingly, former UFC heavyweight champion and current Professional Fighters League Superfights champ Francis Ngannou complimented Jones performance. He said, I see you.Read More: UFC 309 Results: Bonus Winners And HighlightsFans never got to see a fight between Jones and Ngannou, and now that they are with different promotions, the chances are even slimmer that well ever see the dream fight.Thankfully for the UFC, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has emerged as a more practical dream fight for Jones. Based on Jones post-fight interview, it sounds like the fight will happen sometime next year.Here are all of the results from UFC 309. The winners of performance bonuses are marked with a trophy emoji.UFC 309 ResultsMain Card(c) Jon Jones def. No. 8 Stipe Miocic Via Third-Round TKONo. 2 Charles Oliveira def. No. 7 Michael Chandler Via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) - Fight of the NightBo Nickal def. Paul Craig Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Viviane Araujo def. No. 5 Karine Silva Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)PrelimsMarcus McGhee def. No. 13 Jonathan Martinez Via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders - CANCELEDJim Miller def. Damon Jackson Via First-Round Submission (Guillotine)David Onama def. Roberto Romero Via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)No. 9 Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz Via Second-Round TKOEarly PrelimsRamiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall Via First-Round KOOban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez Via Third-Round KOEduardo Moura def. Veronica Hardy Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28x2)Whats Next For the UFC?The UFC will be in Macau on November 23. The card is strong but fans will need to stay up late or get up early to watch.Here is the full card.Petr Yan vs. Deiveson FigueiredoXiaonan Yan vs. Tabatha RicciOzzy Diaz vs. Mingyang ZhangKenan Song vs. Muslim SalikhovCong Wang vs. Gabriella FernandesVolkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos UlbergCarlos Hernandez vs. Nyamjargal TumendemberelXiaocan Feng vs. Ming ShiKiru Sahota vs. Dong Hoon ChoiSu Young You vs. Balgyn JenisulyKangjie Zhu vs. Bin XieLoneer Kavanagh vs. Jose OchoaLong Xiao vs. Quang LeMaheshate Hayisaer vs. Nikolas MottaLook out for fight week coverage as we move towards the event.

Researcher holding vaccine Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.There are no routine screenings for ovarian cancer for women. Yes, ovarian cancer is rare, representing 1% of new cancer diagnoses every year in the U.S. But, its a serious disease as only half of the nearly 20,000 women diagnosed each year survive past 5 years. Thats quite low as compared with breast cancer, where the 5-year survival rate is over 90%.Scientists at Cancer Research UK were recently awarded 600,000 to develop the first ovarian cancer vaccine, called OvarianVax. Medical oncologist and immunologist Dr. Matthew Block from the Mayo Clinic is working to develop an ovarian cancer vaccine using engineered white blood cells from patients with ovarian cancer. The vaccine will target a protein called folate receptor alpha that is associated with ovarian cancer.Dr Block shared, One way in which the two vaccines differ is in their intended patient populations. The vaccine developed at Mayo Clinic is being used in patients who already have ovarian cancer; both as a means to prevent ovarian cancer recurrence for patients in remission from cancer (secondary prevention), as well as in a regimen treating active ovarian cancer. In contrast, the UK vaccine, while it will first be tested in ovarian cancer patients, is being developed primarily to prevent ovarian cancer from developing in patients who are at risk for the disease but have never had it (primary prevention).Dr Block explained that the commercially available human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil 9 prevents cancer by preventing long-term infection with cancer-causing HPV strains. He explained, Since ovarian cancer is not known to be caused by a virus, ovarian cancer vaccines target proteins expressed by the tumor cells rather than viral proteins. Similar to the commercially available HPV vaccine, the UK ovarian cancer vaccine is designed to be used in patients who do not have cancer, with the researchers looking to see if the risk of cancer will be substantially reduced.Dr Melissa Frey, gynecologic oncologist and Director of the Genetics and Personalized Cancer Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains that there are currently no reliable methods to screen for ovarian cancer. For women who are higher risk for ovarian cancer, for example women with BRCA1/2 mutation or Lynch syndrome, some physicians recommend transvaginal (pelvic) ultrasound and a CA-125 blood test.MORE FOR YOUDr Frey shared, These tests may result in increased detection of early stage ovarian cancer, versus late stage ovarian cancers. However, these tests are not included on National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline recommendations for women with hereditary ovarian cancer predisposition and large clinical trials suggest that these tests do not translate into improved survival for people found to have ovarian cancer. Dr Frey explained that there are several groups working on cancer vaccines and there are open clinical trials with this goal, however, we remain several years away from an FDA- approved vaccine for this indication.

T-Mobile was hacked by Chinese state sponsored hackers 'Salt Typhoon."Copyright 2011 AP. All rights reserved.T-Mobile is the latest telecommunications company to report being impacted by a large-scale cyber-espionage campaign linked to Chinese state-sponsored hackers. While T-Mobile has stated that customer data and critical systems have not been significantly affected, the breach is part of a broader attack on major telecom providers, raising concerns about the security of critical communications infrastructure across the industry.Details of the Data BreachThe campaign, attributed to a hacking group known as Salt Typhoon, also referred to as Earth Estries or Ghost Emperor, targeted the wiretap systems telecom companies are required to maintain for law enforcement purposes, as the WSJ Reports. These systems are essential for facilitating government mandated surveillance and are a crucial part of telecom infrastructure.According to federal agencies, including the FBI and CISA, the hackers successfully accessed:Call records of specific customers.Private communications of targeted individuals.Information about law enforcement surveillance requests.The breach appears to have focused on sensitive communications involving high-ranking U.S. national security and policy officials. This suggests a deliberate effort to gather intelligence on key figures, posing potential risks to national security.MORE FOR YOUOnly Part Of An Industry Wide CampaignT-Mobiles disclosure is one part of a broader effort by federal agencies to track and contain the impact of the Salt Typhoon campaign. Other major U.S. telecom providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, have also reported being affected.The attack highlights vulnerabilities across the telecommunications sector, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to strengthen security measures. As telecom providers handle sensitive communications for governments, businesses, and individuals, they are increasingly targeted by state-sponsored actors seeking valuable intelligence.T-Mobiles Cybersecurity ResponseT-Mobile has emphasized that it is actively monitoring the situation and working closely with federal authorities to investigate the breach. The company maintains that, to date, there is no evidence of a significant impact on customer data or the broader functionality of its systems.In a statement to Reuters, a T-Mobile company spokesperson said, T-Mobile is closely monitoring this industry-wide attack, and at this time, T-Mobile systems and data have not been impacted in any significant way, and we have no evidence of impacts to customer information."This latest incident comes at a time when T-Mobile has been enhancing its cybersecurity practices. Earlier this year, the company resolved a $31.5 million settlement with the FCC related to prior breaches, half of which was dedicated to improving security infrastructure. As part of its commitments, T-Mobile has been implementing measures such as:Phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication.Zero-trust architecture to minimize access vulnerabilities.Network segmentation to contain potential breaches.Data minimization to reduce the amount of sensitive information stored.Telecommunications as Critical InfrastructureThe T-Mobile breach highlights the unique challenges facing the telecommunications industry, which is classified as critical infrastructure under federal law. Telecommunications companies are the backbone of global communication, enabling everything from emergency services and government operations to business transactions and personal connectivity.As such, these networks are prime targets for state-sponsored cyber campaigns that seek to exploit their role in facilitating sensitive communications. This incident demonstrates a troubling shift in cyber-espionage tactics. By targeting wiretap systems and sensitive communications, attackers like Salt Typhoon aim not just to steal data but to compromise the integrity of systems critical to national security.T-Mobile has been contacted for comment and have not yet responded.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: Mike Tyson (in black short) and Jake Paul (in silver short) exchange ... [+] punches during their heavyweight world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States on November 15, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu via Getty ImagesAlmost no one enjoyed Mike Tysons unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul, but nearly everyone is happy the 58-year-old boxing icon didnt get hurt in the fight.Paul admitted to taking it easy on Tyson, saying he didnt want to hurt someone who didnt need to be hurt. The viewership was off the charts, but unfortunately, Netflixs server strength wasnt up to snuff.Still, as you might expect, fighters from boxing and MMA flooded social media with reactions to the fight.Reigning PFL and Bellator womens featherweight champion Cris Cyborg posted an image of Tyson to pay homage to the legend despite his losing effort on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Former welterweight boxing champion Andre Berto idolizes Tyson, and he admitted it was a tough watch seeing his idol look vulnerable.Former super welterweight champion Sergio Mora seemed to imply watching Jake Paul box circles around Tyson made him feel dirty.MORE FOR YOUFormer super lightweight champion Regis Prograis showed concern for Tyson as Paul landed a few whacking combinations during the eight-round fight.Former IBF super welterweight champion Raul Marquez never thought Tyson, at 58, had a chance, and he was right.Gervonta Davis had harsh criticism for Paul. Talksports Michael Benson captured this from Davis story on Instagram.Ryan Garcia hasnt won a world title, but it feels like he has. I also cut him slack because he hasnt had the best year regarding social media posts. However, this one was solid, and very few people will disagree with this take.If youve been entertained by Oscar De La Hoyas Clapback Thursday social media series, youll probably love this weeks episode.Terence Crawford is an admitted Tyson fan, but he didnt cut the legend much slack in this harsh critique of the 58-year-olds performance.Playfully, PFL SuperFights Champion Francis Ngannou says he has a bone to pick with Paul the next time he sees him.Tyson looked like an in-shape 58-year-old fighting an in-shape 27-year-old. Considering that, even if you didnt see the fight, you have a good idea of how it went.The first two rounds of the fight, which lasted eight two-minute rounds, were mildly competitive. Paul seemed cautious from the start, which appeared to be more about his concern for Tyson than worry about him getting starched by his opponents power.Paul was never in danger at any point in the fight, and while he landed a few hooks and straights on Tyson, the latter never looked too phased.When Tyson slowed the pace dramatically, Paul followed suit and tried to do just enough to keep the fans from going into an uproar.After the fight, Tyson told Ariel Helwani he believes he will fight again.He playfully named Logan Paul as a potential opponent, to which Logan responded, Id kill you. That remark didnt go over well with the crowd as it seemed a bit harsheven in jest.Helwani mentioned Canelo Alvarez as a potential opponent for Jake, but the latter said he wouldnt call him out because the Mexican legend needs him.While its likely true that Canelo will make more money fighting Paul than he would against anyone, it is still a stretch to say that he needs anyone.Lets hope Pauls next opponent is an active boxer with experience and some decent name recognition.

The DUKE & ROY Hi-Fi Stereo Turntable System has an authentic oak wood design in a user-friendly ... [+] turntable with a simple setup for playing vinyl or streaming audio over Bluetooth.GadhouseIf you fancy getting back into vinyl or youre someone younger who wants to try the medium out for the first time, then Gadhouse has launched a flagship turntable and speaker combo which its called DUKE & ROY.This new product is a complete hi-fi system in a box and comes with support for AptX HD Bluetooth, an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge for playing records and pair of hi-fi speakers.The DUKE & ROY Hi-Fi Stereo Turntable System has an authentic oak wood design in a user-friendly turntable with a simple setup for playing vinyl or streaming audio over Bluetooth.The whole system is made from real oak and sports a classic design alongside clear sound. The system is designed for simplicity and the DUKE & ROY includes everything necessary for to start listening to records straight out of the box. No additional components or complex setup required.The new flagship Gadhouse turntable comes with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. GadhouseGadhouse says its latest system offers a balanced sound, intuitive design and good value for money, letting music lovers to enjoy the warmth of analog audio with the clarity of modern amplification.MORE FOR YOUThe DUKE Oak Turntable has a vintage feel thanks to its use of oak and the overall design pairs with the ROY Hi-Fi Bookshelf Speakers which have a lively sound and rich tone, striking a balance of hi-fi level performance with an affordable price tag.Thanks to support for aptX HD Bluetooth streaming, users can send music from their smartphone to the system, creating an all-in-one audio setup with vinyl at its core but with streaming for music and podcasts in the mix. An optical input enables other sourced like CD players or a TV to be fed into the system making the DUKE & ROY system the centerpiece of any living space.Pricing & Availability: The Gadhouse DUKE & ROY audio system launches on November 16 and is priced at $990 / 779 / 935.

Star SurfacegettyMemories, both volatile and non-volatile are a critical element in various computing and logic devices, since that is where the data lives that is being processed. The mass market for memory technologies serves consumer, industrial and enterprise applications (including in data centers), but computing at temperature extremes, both very cold temperatures and very high temperatures are important for quantum computing (generally at very cold temperatures) and for extreme temperature and environmental applications.I have written in the past about possible technologies to enable quantum computing memories. In this article we will talk about memories for extreme temperature applications.This article is based upon a recently published Nature Reviews Materials article, Materials for High Temperature Digital Electronics. This review article goes into depth on the various factors that to into creating volatile and non-volatile memories for extreme temperature applications, particularly for high temperature applications.Consumer memories begin to lose performance around 85C, begins to degrade around 150C and rapidly degrades at 210C. These temperatures are acceptable for most computer applications, but not in extreme environments.The table below, from the article, gives some insights into applications with temperatures up to 1,000C. Electronic packaging with organic materials is only good up to about 150C, beyond that temperature various ceramic packaging technologies are required. These applications include logic and computing devices for automotive, oil exploration and geothermal applications, interplanetary exploration, nuclear reactors and aerospace applications.MORE FOR YOUTemperatures versus applicationsNature Article AuthorsRegarding non-volatile memory, NVM, for very high-temperature applications, the figure below shows several important memory characteristics as a function of temperature for the mostly likely memory technologies for higher temperatures. These are data retention, in seconds), read endurance, in cycles and on/off ratio.Magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) and phase change memories are limited by their Curie temperatures and phase change temperatures, although MRAM products are now available as embedded memory for automotive applications. The best non-volatile memory candidates for high temperatures, the green regions in the figures below are special types of NOR flash, ferroelectric memories and resistive memories.High temperature metrics versus non-volatile memory technologiesNature article authorsIn particular, nitride ferroelectric NVM, particularly in wurtzite-structured nitrides and oxides, appears to be the most promising technology. However more work needs to be done with these memories, particularly in the on/off ratio.It should be noted that for these high temperature applications traditional silicon substrates wont work. For these applications wide bandgap semiconductor materials are required such as SiC and GaN, especially to support device operation at 850C or higher.The chart below shows feature size scaling trends for regular commercial semiconductors and high temperature semiconductor devices. Packaging and interconnect as well as technical issues and particularly the low demand for high temperature electronic devices limit the feature size and thus the achievable density for semiconductors operating at very high temperatures.Comparison of high temperature electronics features sizes to mass market productsNature article authorsIt is obvious that high temperature devices tend to lag silicon devices operating at lower temperatures, on a logarithmic scale. The various issues in making high temperature semiconductor devices limits their use to aerospace, avionics, automotive, oil/gas exploration and nuclear power applications. The low volume of these applications slows the miniaturization and performance of these applications compared to higher volume applications.High temperature volatile and non-volatile memories are important for aerospace, avionics, automotive, oil/gas exploration and nuclear power applications but these applications require new materials, interconnects, packaging and manufacturing processes

IRVING, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 14: Mike Tyson gets on scale during Weigh-In at the Toyota Music Factory in ... [+] Irving, Texas on November 14, 2024 ahead of his match with Jake Paul for heavyweight world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship which will be on November 15 Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu via Getty ImagesMike Tyson and Jake Paul are set to fight on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight card is underway, but were still a few fights away from the main event.IMPORTANT INFO ON MIKE TYSON VS. JAKE PAUL ON NETFLIXThe Netflix stream will begin at 8 pm ET, and three fights will be broadcast before Tyson and Paul climb into the ring. Tyson and Paul will likely walk to the ring around 11:15 pm ET, and the fight will start around 11:30 pm.According to MVP Promotions, the gate for Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, co-headlined by Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor 2, has already surpassed a $17.8 million gate. That total sets a record for the state of Texas.Its almost twice the amount Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders generated for their fight in 2021. The gate is also higher than any UFC event outside Las Vegas, besides the Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez pay-per-view at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden.MORE FOR YOUAccording to MVP, more than 70,000 fans will be in attendance for the event, and the numbers on the free streams on YouTube are already staggering. Just after 7 pm ET, Netflix Sports live stream of the prelims had 289,000 fans watching. You can view that here:MVP Promotions live stream of the prelims had 389,000 people watching. Thats presumably nearly 700,000 people watching prelims of fighters they may not have heard of before this week.As an FYI, here is the list of the fights on the card.Mike Tyson vs. Jake PaulKatie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2Mario Barrios vs. Abel RamosNeeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson NunesShadasia Green vs. Melinda WatpoolLucas Bahdi vs. Armando CasamonicaBruce Carrington vs. Dana CoolwellTyson and Paul drew a few more eyeballs on Thursday night when the former slapped the latters face during the faceoff. It appeared Paul may have intentionally stepped on Tysons toe, which is rumored to be injured and part of why he pulled out of the fight in July.Here is a look at the first viral celebrity slap since Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars.Watch for a full breakdown of the co-main event and the main event following the show. Dont get to the Tyson-Paul main event too late. You could miss the entire show.While longtime boxing fans have become accustomed to saying that about Tysons fights because of his penchant for early knockouts during the prime of his career, Im mentioning that for this fight because it is only scheduled for eight rounds, and those frames are just two minutes.Traditionally, mens professional boxing matches are scheduled for three rounds, and the fighters use 12-ounce gloves. Tyson and Paul will be wearing 14-ounce gloves during their fight. Will we see a knockout or something that has everyone talking because it is wildly disappointing?Well know sooner rather than later.

Real love starts with looking withinare you truly ready to step back into the world of dating and ... [+] commitment?gettyMost people experience heartbreakfailed relationships, painful breakups and the disappointment of investing in someone they thought was the one. Many go through cycles of loving and parting, only to face hurt again.After each fall comes a period of rebuilding, rediscovering joy in solitude and eventually finding peace on ones own. For some, this takes months; for others, it takes years. Yet, a moment comes when theyre truly ready to love again.A 2018 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that feeling ready for a relationship, or commitment readiness, increases both the likelihood of entering a relationship and the level of commitment within it. Personal timingthe sense that its the right moment in ones life for a meaningful connectionis critical.Here are four signs that might mean youre ready for a hopeful new beginning.1. Youre Driven By The Right IntentionsIntentions shape our actions, especially in relationships. If youre seeking companionship out of a genuine desire to connect and grow with someone, youre on the right track. This contrasts with relationships pursued to avoid loneliness, fill a void, or meet societal expectations.Healthy intentions foster partnerships based on shared respect, where both individuals are valued for who they arenot as solutions to underlying fears. Entering relationships for the right reasons helps avoid falling into unfulfilling or unhealthy patterns.Read More: 2 Emotional Side-Effects Of Thwarted BelongingnessBy A PsychologistTrue relationship readiness involves seeking a partnership that fosters growth, connection and shared meaningnot just companionship. A 2016 study in the Journal of Family Psychology identified four dimensions of deeper and richer relationships:Personal growth. Relationships should support each partners individual development and self-improvement.Relational giving. Each partner engages in mutual support, fostering a reciprocal sense of giving within the relationship.Deeper connection. Beyond surface-level satisfaction, a meaningful relationship involves a profound, fulfilling bond.Goal sharing. Partners align on values and aspirations, creating a shared purpose that enhances relational depth.These dimensions show that true relationship readiness isnt about avoiding loneliness or seeking quick happiness. Entering with the right intentionsa commitment to genuine connection and shared goalscreates a foundation for a flourishing relationship.2. You Understand Yourself DeeplyPast relationships often reveal unhelpful patternsstaying due to a fear of being alone or clinging to situations due to low self-esteem, believing this is as good as it gets. These dynamics can lead to unhealthy compromises and ultimately end with the realization that leaving is the only option, often sparking a painful sense of lost time and effort.Yet, these experiences are powerful tools for self-discovery. They highlight what you seek, your unmet needs and deeper insecurities. With this awareness, you begin to identify your triggers, understand the wounds youre tending to and establish where your boundaries need to be drawn.These insights come from both past lessons and intentional self-reflection. A study published in the Journal of Self and Identity reinforces this, finding that individuals with high self-concept clarity experience greater relationship satisfaction and commitment.Such self-clarity lets you enter relationships from a place of strength and authenticity. When you know yourself deeply, its a powerful sign that youre ready to commit to a meaningful relationshipone where you can honor your values, respect your boundaries and build genuine, lasting connections.3. You Know What Youre Looking ForUnderstanding what you truly want in a relationship is essential to forming a meaningful connection. It goes beyond vague ideas of companionship and requires understanding your specific needs, values and expectations, as well as learning how to communicate them effectively. When youve put thought into these aspects, you approach dating with clarity and purpose. This involves:Acknowledging your feelings. Being in touch with your emotions, without suppressing them, helps you understand what feels right in a relationship.Recognizing your values. Values shape the core of what you desire in a partnership. Reflecting on what truly matters to yousuch as honesty, ambition or kindnesscan guide you toward a partner who respects those ideals.Understanding your emotional needs. Knowing your views on intimacy, communication and support can help you identify a partner who can fulfill them in meaningful ways.Communicating openly. Being ready for a relationship means being prepared to express your needs. If you feel comfortable asking for what you want and listening to what your partner needs, youre on the path to a healthy, transparent relationship.Without this clarity, its easy to feel unsure or settle for relationships that dont match what you need. Reflecting on past experiences often reveals what matters most to you. For example, you may realize that you need a partner who respects your independence, shares your sense of humor or values communication. When you have a well-defined idea of what you want, it signals that youre ready to build a partnership that fits with your life.4. You Are Healing And Open To The Dating ProcessOne of the most evident signs youre ready for a new relationship is when youre actively healing and open to the ups and downs of dating.Healing doesnt mean being entirely over past hurtsits about recognizing old wounds, understanding what went wrong and knowing where your boundaries lie. This awareness lets you step into new connections with a grounded sense of self, free from the weight of past experiences.Equally important is embracing the dating process itself. Accepting that dating isnt always straightforward allows you to approach each experience with resilience and curiosity. Instead of focusing solely on finding the one or rushing to secure an outcome, youre present in the moment, open to learning and growing from each connection. This mindset fosters unexpected connections and moments of self-discovery, making the journey enriching.Healing allows you to approach dating with resilience, knowing each experience is an opportunity for growth. This balanced mindset signals youre genuinely ready for a relationship built on curiosity and trustone that unfolds naturally and has room to flourish.Do you think your relationship is just happy, or is it genuinely thriving? Discover the truth with this science-backed quiz: Relationship Flourishing Scale

Sick child with red rash spots from measles.gettyMeasles is surging around the world, with around 10.3 million reported cases last year.Thats an increase of 20% on 2022, according to the World Health Organization, which blames the growth in numbers on inadequate vaccine coverage.Measles is highly contagious and potentially fatal. Young children are particularly vulnerable to the disease, which killed an estimated 107,500 people in 2023, most of whom were under 5. This is an increase of about 8% on the year before.Countries need almost all children (95%) to have two measles shots to prevent outbreaks of the disease and keep the population safe, the WHO says.Last year, just 74% had received both their recommended doses, while 87% had received one.Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunization for every person, no matter where they live.Measles signs and symptomsMeasles is airborne and spreads when infected people cough, sneeze and breath. It causes symptoms like a high fever, a cough, a runny nose and a distinctive rash that can appear over the whole body.MORE FOR YOUIt can lead to severe complications including blindness, brain swelling, ear infections, severe diarrhoea and pneumonia.Vaccines train the body to respond to the virus that causes measles, making it harder for the disease to take hold.Theres no set treatment for measles. But caregivers can help a sick patient by making them comfortable and helping relieve their symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In the U.S., measles is relatively rare. In 2023, just 59 cases were recorded nationwide, largely because of longstanding childhood vaccination programs.Nonetheless, outbreaks still hit the country. This year, 277 cases have been recorded so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Vaccine uptakeVaccine skepticism is often blamed for rising measles rates. The triple measles, mumps and rubella shots that protect against the disease have long been the subject of controversy, despite scientific evidence showing they are safe and effective.A fraudulent paper in medical journal The Lancet did much to fuel suspicion of the shots in the 1990s and early 2000. British former doctor Andrew Wakefield who was later stripped of the title published falsified research that appeared to show a link between the MMR shots and autism.In reality, no such link has been found. In 2010, The Lancet retracted the paper.But the autism rumour has still been well and truly sown. It took root in the U.S., where Wakefield went on to relocate.President-elect Donald Trumps pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has long promoted the view that vaccines cause autism.He is currently on leave from the position of chairman at an anti-vaccine activist organization called the Childrens Health Defense, which is known for spreading misinformation about health issues, including measles immunization, on social media.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Jon Jones poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCSeveral combat sports legends are scheduled to fight this weekend, and most wont be in Texas for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event on Friday.UFC 309 happens the following night at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Jon Jones, the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, takes on Stipe Miocic, the most accomplished heavyweight in the sports history.Here are 20 things you should know about UFC 309.When, Where and What VenueNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: A general view of the Octagon prior to the interim UFC heavyweight ... [+] championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesUFC 309 will take place on November 16, 2024, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event will be streamed on ESPN+ PPV.UFC 309 Main EventJones and Miocic is a matchup that many have longed to see, but by many accounts, it might be happening at the wrong time. Nonetheless, Jones will add another notch to his impressive belt with a win. Miocic could become the first man to defeat Jones legitimately, adding an unquestionable feather to his cap.MORE FOR YOUJon Jones' Heavyweight ReignNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Jon Jones poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCJones defended the light heavyweight championship 11 times against the best in his division throughout his era. Saturdays clash will mark the first time Jones has defended the title he won when he submitted Ciryl Gane in March 2023. The title was vacated by Francis Ngannou, who left the promotion as champion before signing with the Professional Fighters League.Stipe Miocic's ReturnNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Stipe Miocic poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCMiocic hasnt fought since March 2021, when he was savagely knocked out by Ngannou, losing the heavyweight title. If he wins, hell become UFC's second three-time heavyweight champion. Randy Couture also won the title three times.Fighter LayoffsThe combined layoffs for Jones (20 months) and Miocic (44 months) are five-plus years. Thats the most extended combined layoff in the history of the UFC heavyweight championship. The long layoffs add to the uncertainty about the outcome, though Jones is a massive favorite.Decorated BackupTom Aspinall during the Heavyweight fight at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester. Picture date: ... [+] Saturday July 27, 2024. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)PA Images via Getty ImagesUFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will serve as the official backup for Jones or Miocic. If either man cannot compete, Aspinall would step in to take his place.However, thats a sticky situation. If Jones or Miocic fell off the card for whatever reason, it is unclear if either man would go through with a fight with Aspinall. In which case, Aspinall would be elevated from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion.Co-Main Event RematchHOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 15: Charles Oliveira of Brazil and Michael Chandler exchange punches during ... [+] their Championship Lightweight Bout at the UFC 262 event at Toyota Center on May 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe co-main event isnt a title bout, but it is a five-round lightweight rematch between former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler.Their first fight happened at UFC 262 in May 2021. After a slow start, Oliveira got the win via second-round TKO. Both men have plans to chase the 155-pound title in 2025. Winning on Saturday is vital in either man accomplishing their goal.Chandler is Done Waiting on McGregor, For NowNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Michael Chandler poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session ... [+] on November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCChandler hasnt fought since November 2022. Hes spent most of that time waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor.Because that never happened, Chandler is moving on with his career, and that starts with a clash with Oliveira. However, Chandler vows to fight McGregor in 2025.Oliveira is Looking to Bounce BackNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Charles Oliveira poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session ... [+] on November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCOliveira is coming off a loss to Arman Tsarukyan in April. Had Oliveira won, he could rematch UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. A loss to Chandler would be devastating for Oliveira at this career stage.Bo Nickal's ReturnNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Bo Nickal poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCMiddleweight super-prospect Bo Nickal returns to the Octagon. The undefeated American will get a test from an experienced opponent who may be one of the few with a ground game capable of competing with the accomplished amateur wrestler.The UFC has built Nickal slowly but surely, and a win over Craig would likely mean that the former will be matched with a ranked opponent in his next fight.Bo Nickal's StreakNickal didnt enter the UFC with much experience from independent promotions. Still, hes done nothing but win impressively since he broke into the UFC on the Dana White Contender Series with two submission wins in 2022.Nickal is 6-0 in the UFC, and the 28-year-old might be the fastest-rising young star in the promotion.Top-10 Women's Flyweight ClashNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Karine Silva poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCA huge fight is scheduled on the card in the UFCs womens flyweight division. No. 5 Karine Silva will try to run her win streak to ten in a row against No. 9 Viviane Araujo.If Silva wins, shell put herself in a position to move one step closer to a title shot. It would make sense for her to face Erin Blanchfield next, with the winner getting a title shot during their next outing.Chris Weidman's Comeback ContinuesNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Chris Weidman poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCFormer UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is continuing his comeback following severe leg injuries. Weidman snapped a two-fight losing streak with a win over Bruno Silva in March.Hell try to make it two in a row with a win over Eryk Anders.Jim Miller Will Set Another RecordLAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 03: Jim Miller reacts after his knockout victory over Jesse Butler in a ... [+] lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesJim Miller is set to compete in the 57th MMA bout of his career. The 41-year-old will push his record for most UFC fights to 45. Millers longevity is remarkable. Hell face another aging veteran in Damon Jackson.Potential RetirementsBecause of the circumstances with multiple fighters, UFC 309 could turn into a retirement party. Jones and Miocic said they were unsure if they would fight beyond Saturday.So, there is a possibility you could see a double retirement following the main event. Miller and Weidman could theoretically call it a careerespecially if they lose.Other Fighters to WatchNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Mauricio Ruffy poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] November 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCMauricio Ruffy is one of the most dynamic newcomers in the UFC.The Brazilian hails from the fast-emerging Fighting Nerds camp and he has some definite McGregor vibes with his striking. Ruffy carries enormous star potential. He faces James Llontop in a fight that will open the pay-per-view.Fighters Who Might Need to Win to Avoid Being CutCLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 10: Mickey Gall celebrates after defeating Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks by ... [+] submission in their welterweight bout during the UFC 203 event at Quicken Loans Arena on September 10, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesJackson is facing an aging legend in Miller, but he is 36, and hes lost three of his last four fights. If he loses to Miller, it wouldnt be a surprise to see him released sometime next week.Mickey Gall might also be on dangerous ground. He is on a three-fight losing streak. The 32-year-old is 7-6 overall, and his most significant career wins came over CM Punk and Sage Northcutt. Gall faces Ramiz Brahimaj, and the former needs a win.UFC 309 Full CardHere is a look at the full card scheduled for MSG.Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)Jon Jones vs. Stipe MiocicCharles Oliveira vs. Michael ChandlerBo Nickal vs. Paul CraigViviane Araujo vs. Karine SilvaMauricio Ruffy vs. James LlontopPrelims (ESPNews/FX/Hulu/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGheeChris Weidman vs. Eryk AndersJim Miller vs. Damon JacksonDavid Onama vs. Roberto RomeroEarly Prelims (ESPN+/Hulu/UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET)Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata DinizMickey Gall vs. Ramiz BrahimajBassil Hafez vs. Oban ElliottVeronica Hardy vs. Eduarda MouraTicket AvailabilityAs of early Thursday morning, tickets for UFC 309 were available. Prices ranged from $384 to $6784 for floor seats on Vivid Seats.President Trump Expected to AttendMIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 08: Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 287 at Kaseya Center on ... [+] April 08, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)Getty ImagesNewly elected President Donald Trump is expected to attend UFC 309. Trump has attended several UFC events over the years, but this would be his first since winning the most recent election.Be on the lookout for fight coverage culminating with post-event coverage.

Generative AI is fundamentally transforming how organizations defend against cyber threats, creating ... [+] both new vulnerabilities and unprecedented opportunities for protection.Adobe StockToday, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures are in place is more important than ever when it comes to protecting organizations and even governments and nations from digital threats.As societys reliance on digital platforms, online connectivity, and the transfer and storage of data has grown, so has the number of potential attack vectors. Phishing attacks, identity theft and ransomware are all growing in frequency and scale.Now, AI has been added to the mix, particularly generative AI. But while this revolutionary technology creates new risks, it also creates new opportunities.Cyber security analysts, engineers, architects and ethical hackers are on the front line of this fight. Increasingly, their work will involve working collaboratively with intelligent machines and generative AI technology to tackle the new wave of threats.So, if you work - or are considering working - in cybersecurity and want to know how the rise of AI will impact your role and the future of your profession, read on!MORE FOR YOUGenerative AI and CybersecurityThe Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) framework defines eight key domains when it comes to cybersecurity. Broadly speaking, these can be used to categorize the key tasks that security professionals are responsible for. It isnt difficult to see that generative AI has implications for all of them:Security And Risk Management involves identifying specific threats, such as phishing or denial-of-service attacks. Here, generative AI can be used to conduct risk assessments in real-time and automatically report on recommendations and mitigation strategies.Asset Security focuses on implementing protection measures for systems and data. Generative AI tools can be used to automate the classification of sensitive information and identify weak points in security infrastructure.Security Architecture And Engineering refers to work that involves designing and implementing security measures. Generative AI can be used to suggest security implementations as well as to simulate attacks to test their effectiveness.Communication And Network Security is the job of ensuring the transfer of data across networks is secure. Machine learning algorithms monitor traffic and look for patterns that suggest suspicious activity, while generative AI tools create real-time reports that flag potential breaches.Identity And Access Management involves ensuring authorized users have access to the systems and data they need while keeping out potential intruders. AI can track user behavior and access patterns to identify anomalies or detect phishing attacks by analyzing emails or voice comms for content, tone and structure. It can also create simulated phishing attacks to probe for vulnerabilities.Security Assessment And Testing implements processes for conducting routine tests across the entire spectrum of cybersecurity infrastructure. GenAI can automate the creation of testing schedules and reporting of results, along with generating recommendations for corrective action.Security Operations refers to the procedures in place to detect and respond to ongoing security incidents. Generative AI tools can be used to create automatic incident response plans or conduct simulated attacks, enabling organizations to reduce the time it takes to respond to breaches.Software Development Security ensures that software vulnerabilities are identified at the development stage. Generative AI tools can automate code reviews and the writing of testing plans, as well as scan code repositories to ensure they are safe.By understanding how generative AI can be integrated across these domains, cybersecurity professionals can develop a solid understanding of how this technology can help them spot and respond to threats as well as proactively strengthen the defenses of their organizations.How The Role Of Cybersecurity Professionals Will Change I believe generative AI will impact just about every job, profession and career path, and the in-demand field of cybersecurity is no exception.Those who have the ability to work with generative AI will find it easier to automate many elements of their day-to-day activities. This will free up their valuable time to spend on activities that arent so easy to delegate to machines.These could include working face-to-face with colleagues to help them understand their own cybersecurity responsibilities, tasks involving high-level strategic decision-making, or identifying novel threats that arent well recognized and documented.Something else that even the best AIs dont yet have the generality to do as well as humans is understanding the specific foibles of a particular organizations culture and how they create or mitigate security threats. This could include the leaderships attitude towards security, the quality of training policies in place, and compliance levels around IT codes of practice.Just as is the case with professionals in other fields, those who are able to reskill and upskill in the face of this shake-up of responsibilities and priorities will find they are more likely to prosper.The challenges and opportunities faced by cybersecurity professionals will undoubtedly evolve, and the increasing prevalence of AI will be a primary driver of this.The ability to adapt will be essential, as tomorrows threats will be different from today's. Consider, for example, the threats posed to encryption standards by quantum computing or the data protection risks arising from more and more of our personal information being digitized and stored online.This will result in cybersecurity professionals becoming increasingly critical to the safety of not just their organizations but society as a whole as we move further into the digital age.

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here. Insilico Medicine CEO Alex ZhavoronkovInsilico MedicineInsilico Medicine announced results from a clinical trial of ISM001-055, which the company designed using generative AI in order to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease affecting around 100,000 Americans that makes breathing increasingly difficult as it progresses.The phase IIa study, conducted in China, involved 71 patients who were randomized to either receive a placebo, a daily 30mg pill, a twice-daily dose of a 30mg pill, or a daily 60 mg pill. Across all patients, the majority of side effects were mild or moderate, the company said. Those who received the highest dose law improvement in lung function compared to the placebo group. The 60mg group also saw improvements in their quality of life.The Cambridge-based company was founded in 2014 by CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, and in 2019 first published results about designing and testing drugs with its AI platform. Earlier this year, the company published its methodology for developing ISM001-055 in Nature Biotechnology. The company is currently enrolling patients in a U.S.-based clinical trial.These results highlight the potential of generative AI and robotics to facilitate the discovery, design, and development of innovative therapies, Zhavoronkov said in the announcement.Enveda Begins Clinical Trial For Drug Derived From Nature Using AIEnveda CEO Viswa ColluruEnvedaColorado-based Enveda announced that its begun clinical trials of ENV-294, an oral inflammatory agent for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. This is the first clinical trial for the startup, which raised its first seed round less than four years ago. The companys approach is relatively unique: its AI models are trained on biological data, which it searches for compounds that are potentially therapeutic. The company then refines those molecules to produce drugs.The concept essentially takes medicine back to its roots, CEO and cofounder Viswa Colluru told Forbes. Our first medicines just came from substances that worked in people, he said. Morphine came from poppy seeds, he noted, just as we got aspirin from willow bark.Enveda takes advantage of modern computational biology to supercharge this effort, he explained. The company uses mass spectrometry to identify the chemical fingerprints of substances in biological samples, which enables them to process samples quickly without having to purify them. Then it trained transformer models to interpret those spectra and predict molecular structures. Think of it like Alphafold, but for chemistry, Colluru said, enabling his company to find natural product drug leads without any of the historical bottlenecks.ENV-294 was derived from a molecule that plants use to handle inflammation, Colluru said, but with a very different molecular pathway than that employed by existing anti-inflammatories used for dermatitis or other inflammatory conditions, which can have rough side effects. The next step for the company is to complete its first clinical trial, which he said should happen by the beginning of the second quarter next year.Pipeline & Deal UpdatesHeart Disease: The FDA approved Johnson & Johnsons Varipulse system for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes irregular heartbeats and other issues.Allergies: ARS pharmaceuticals has entered into an agreement with Danish company ALK-Abell for an exclusive licensing agreement for ARS nasal spray neffy, which can be used to treat anaphylaxis, in Europe, Canada and other countries. ARS will receive a $145 million upfront payment and is eligible for $320 million in milestone payments, plus royalties.AI For Drug Discovery: Genesis Therapeutics, which is developing an AI platform for drug discovery, announced that Nvidias venture capital arm made an equity investment in the company and will also collaborate with Nvidia in the development of its AI platform.Oncology: Alentis Therapeutics, which is developing treatments for certain cancers, announced it has raised a $181.4 million series D round led by Orbimed, Novo Holdings and Jeito Capital.Obesity: Metsera, which is developing new treatments for obesity and metabolic diseases, announced it has closed a $215 million series B round. The company is currently conducting phase 2 trials of its GLP-1 drug, which requires only monthly injections.Parkinsons Disease: Discovery platform company Vesalius has entered into a collaboration deal with GSK to develop treatments of Parkinsons disease. Under the deal, Vesalius will get an $80 million upfront payment and will be eligible for milestone payments up to $570 million, plus royalties.Computational Discovery: Novartis has entered into a collaboration with Schrdinger to use the latters computational discovery platform to develop multiple drugs. Schrdinger will receive a $150 million upfront payment and be eligible for $2.3 billion in milestone payments, plus royalties.Ozempic, Wegovy Linked To Lower Hospitalizations In Alcohol Addicts, Research ShowsCorbis via Getty ImagesScientists in Finland and Sweden on Wednesday published the results of a study using 17 years of data that observed more than 220,000 people who were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and either had obesity or Type 2 diabetes, conditions most commonly treated by glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) medications.The study found those taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and liraglutide, the ingredient in Victoza, experienced reduced alcohol consumption and were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related issues than their peers. Researchers warned the results of the study should be interpreted "cautiously" and that clinical trials will be needed to find if the improved outcomes were actually caused by the use of GLP-1 medications.Read more here.Other Healthcare NewsWhy Cigna Deal With Humana Made Little Sense To Begin WithCVS Health Path Forward Becomes Clearer And Breakup Is UnlikelyMany Bird Flu Infections Among Dairy Workers Go UndetectedRebate Game Played By PBMs And Drug Makers Limits Biosimilar CompetitionAcross ForbesWhat Else We are ReadingHow Lincare Became a Multibillion-Dollar Medicare Scofflaw (ProPublica)Incoming Senate Majority Leader Thune hails from a state that relies on rural hospitals, telehealth (Stat)How much power do Trump and Kennedy have to reshape health agencies? (Science)

MacBook Pro, late 2024.Apple NewsroomFollowing the announcement of three new MacBook Pro laptops, Apple has not only confirmed that trade-in offers can help bring the purchase cost of a MacBook Pro down, its also heavily promoting the offer on social media.But theres a catch. The trade-in offers are limited to current Apple owners.Who Is Eligible For A MacBook Pro Discount?Apple has gated the specific value of the trade-in. Current Mac owners are asked to input their serial number before the offer is confirmed, although Apples default trade-in page suggests offers of up to $875 for a MacBook Pro and $445 for a MacBook Air. To get the highest value, your trade-in must be one of the most recent laptops with high specifications.While there is a box for other manufacturers laptops when opting to trade in during the purchasing process, this doesnt lead to an offer page. Instead, it leads you to a note about recycling your old hardware and the gracious offer from Apple to take it off your hands so it can be recycled responsibly.Of the three new MacBook Pro laptops, the two professionally-focused laptops feel worthy of the investment of a trade-in. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch models come with a choice of either the M4 Pro or m4 Max Apple Silicon chipset, along with various storage and memory options. These are workstation-level laptops suitable for heavy-duty use, especially in the creative industry.The third MacBook Pro is a different matter. Its more in line with consumer expectations than with professionals' expectations; the biggest giveaway is the use of the vanilla M4 chipset rather than anything more advanced. Yet, it is priced in line with this generation's more advanced MacBook Pro laptops.Read More: Apples Ambitious iPhone 17 Plans Face Difficult Design ChallengesIs There A Better MacBook Option?The best value for consumers would be a trade-in coupled with an M4-powered MacBook Air except that Apple isnt currently offering the M4 MacBook Air and may not do so until March 2025. At which point well see just how many of the M4 MacBook Pro upgrades will be brought over to the M4 MacBook Air and how much more consumer-focused the base MacBook will be.And therell probably be a trade-in on that laptop that will make for a far more attractive offer.Now read more about Apples balancing act between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro...

Mainframes continue to be the backbone of the global economygettyMainframe computers are often perceived as relics of the past but in reality, they continue to be the backbone of the global economy. Critical data related to finance, government, and other sensitive transactions pass through these systems daily. Over 70 percent of Fortune 500 companies still rely on mainframes despite the rise of cloud computing. The key to their continued relevance is modernizationadapting these powerful systems to meet the needs and opportunities of todays technological landscape without losing the stability and security they provide.Why Mainframes Still MatterPeter Rutten is Research Vice President at International Data CorporationIDCMainframes have been around for over 60 years and remain the most reliable platform for handling massive amounts of data and transactions. As Peter Rutten, Research Vice President at IDC, explained, Mainframes were built for the highest possible performance and uptime, with the greatest security. In fact, theyre still used by industries like banking, airlines, and healthcare, where data integrity and continuous uptime are mission critical.These industries process billions of transactions daily, for which downtime is not an option.CEO of Rocket Software Milan Shetti echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that mainframes are "the backbone of the world economy because of their three major capabilities: security, governance, and very high performance." They are trusted for sensitive transactions such as wire transfers and insurance claims due to the degree of security and reliability that few other systems can match. The lack of headlines about mainframe failures or security breaches is a testament to their robustness, something Shetti proudly notes: Mainframe has done a really good job of staying out of the headlines for the wrong reasons.Yet, while mainframes are still trusted for mission-critical tasks, there is no denying the growing pressure to adapt to emerging technologies, such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence. This is where mainframe modernization comes into play.MORE FOR YOUThe Need for ModernizationMax de Groen, Partner at Bain CapitalJennifer Cimino PhotographyModernization is not about replacing mainframes but enhancing them to work seamlessly with modern technologies like cloud and AI. Max de Groen, Partner at Bain Capital, says, mainframe modernization is increasingly seen not as a necessary evil, but as an opportunity to leverage existing investments and integrate emerging technologies. Indeed, many enterprises are recognizing that modernization is essential to stay competitive, meet consumer demands, and manage costs effectively.The process, however, is not simple. A basic mainframe modernization project can take two years, while more complex ones can take five or more, explains Rutten. This timeline highlights the difficulty of integrating decades-old systems with newer, more flexible cloud environments.Shetti emphasizes that the goal is "modernization without disruption." Rocket Software, for instance, focuses on helping organizations modernize in placeupgrading their existing mainframe systems to work with new technologies without the need for a complete overhaul. He cites the example of a banks mobile application, which might be cloud-based but will still rely on the mainframe to access secure customer data.CEO of Rocket Software Milan ShettiRocket SoftwareThis hybrid approachconnecting the cloud to the mainframeis becoming the preferred method for many enterprises. "Youll never see end-to-end banking in the cloud," Shetti insists, explaining that cloud computing may be better for scaling applications and attracting developers, but the mainframe is preferred when handling sensitive data with the highest levels of security.The Role of AI in ModernizationAI is playing an increasingly important role in mainframe modernization. Rocket Software and other companies are using AI for "code explainability, which helps current engineers understand and modernize the vast amounts of legacy code that power mainframes today. This is crucial because many original developers who wrote this code have retired, leaving a knowledge gap that AI can help bridge.Shetti also envisions AI simplifying mainframe operations to the point where managing a mainframe could be as intuitive as operating an iPhone. This use of AI improves operational efficiency and helps attract new talent to an industry that has long been associated with complex, outdated technology.The Economic and Security ImpactsMainframe modernization has broader implications for the economy and security. Rutten points out that "70% of enterprise data still runs on mainframes," meaning that any failure or breach would have far-reaching consequences. This is why modernization is so criticalit allows enterprises to take advantage of cloud scalability and AI innovation while maintaining the security and reliability of their core systems.Moreover, de Groen highlights that modernization is about more than just keeping the lights on. Its about leveraging the power of datadata that resides on the mainframeto drive new business models, improve customer experiences, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape.Mainframes may not be flashy, but they are indispensable. As Rutten wisely states, You dont move off the mainframe; you integrate with it. The future of enterprise IT lies in this integrationblending the unmatched security and reliability of mainframes with the flexibility and innovation of cloud computing and AI. For organizations that rely on these systems, modernization is not just an option; its necessary to remain competitive and secure in the digital age.Follow me on LinkedIn or check out my other columns here.

The RDE Wireless Micro is a tiny wireless microphone system for use with smartphones. Offering the ... [+] kind of audio quality RDE is known for, the new system is so easy to use.RDELast month, we saw the launch of Sennheisers new Profile Wireless Microphone System for content creators. This month, its the turn of RDE which has announced a tiny and easy-to-use wireless microphone thats perfect for making TikTok films or Instagram Reels.The RDE Wireless Micro uses the same 2.4GHz technology as Australian brands innovative Wireless GO system that revolutionized the consumer wireless microphone market and spawned countless copycat products from the likes of Boya, JDI, Saramonic and Anker, now in use by social media creatives all over the world.The new RDE Wireless Micro is tiny and has a clip-and-go design while offering professional audio quality. The system consists of two pocket-sized wireless microphone transmitters and is available in both black and white colorways, with specific versions for USB-C or Lightning smartphones.The RDE Wireless Micro consists of two tiny transmitter microphones and a compact receiver that ... [+] plugs into a smartphone.RDEThe kit also includes a slimline receiver that clips directly onto a smartphone interface without the need for any cables. The whole system is no bigger than the charging case for a pair of true wireless earbuds. You can put the RDE Wireless Micro in your pocket and be ready to make videos with great sound at a moments notice.MORE FOR YOUThe two ultra-compact transmitter units have integrated clips and magnetic attachments that make them easy when attachingf to a presenters clothing, but they are still small enough to hardly notice on screen, unlike the larger RDE wireless mics that many content creators already using.The built-in microphones in each of the two transmitters are housed in acoustic chambers using a patent-pending design that captures exceptionally clear audio and reduces wind noise when shooting outdoors. If the wind is howling, there are also fluffy windshields included to tame the gales.The transmitters and receiver of the RDE Wireless Micro fit into a compact charging case. RDEWith intelligent GainAssist technology, the RDE Wireless Micro mics get the recording level spot on without the need to make any fiddly settings. The microphones weigh just 12g and they are splashproof, which means they can handle a little bit of rain or humid conditions. When youre not shooting, the whole system is contained in a pocket-sized charging case where everything is kept safe and fully charged.The compact charging case for storing the mics and receiver in has enough power onboard for two full recharges of the mics, thats a total of 21 hours with the battery in the mics and in the case, which is enough to shoot throughout the day and into the night.The transmitters automatically pair with the RDE Wireless Micro receiver and are always ready to go within seconds by plugging the receiver into the smartphone and then start filming. There are no cables and you dont need to use a particular app to capture video and audio because the receiver automatically becomes the default mic for the smartphone when its connected.The RDE Wireless Micro is available in Black and White colorways. RDERDEs intelligent GainAssist technology automatically adjusts the recording levels on-the-fly and that does away with the need to monitor the settings via headphones when you should be concentrating on filming. GainAssist also eliminates the risk of clipped or quiet recordings and means theres no need to edit the sound during post-processing.So why would you want to use wireless mics like the RDE Wireless Micro when smartphones already have great microphones built in? Well, its all about consistent sound. As you move closer or further away from your subject, the sound levels change and other sounds can drown out the audio that you are trying to record. With wireless mics clipped onto your presenters clothing, you get consistent sound levels and close-up audio even when you are a long way back from your subject.The microphones have an omnidirectional pickup pattern for picking up sound from all around, making placement and audio capture easy. Along with GainAssist, this makes it almost impossible to capture poor-quality sound. Videos with bad audio are one of social medias biggest turn-offs and nothing gets people swiping left faster.The RDE Wireless Micro is available with USB-C or Lighting connectors but you have to decide which ... [+] especially if you are about to upgrade to an iPhone with USB-C connector in the future.RDEThe Wireless Micro is RDEs big push into the burgeoning market for consumer wireless microphones that is currently being fueled by creators producing content for social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Unlike RDEs wireless mics which are aimed more towards moviemakers, the Wireless Micro doesnt include inputs for Lavalier mics and neither does the receiver have an output for feeding audio into an analog device. This is a wireless microphone system strictly for smartphones, which brings me to my one small criticism of the superb RDE Wireless Micro.RDE has decided to produce two versions of the Wireless Micro: one for USB-C and one for Apple Lightning smartphones. I would have preferred to see one product with adaptors for both types of interface because manyf people with Lightning iPhones may soon be upgrading to new iPhones with USB-C interfaces. So, think about which direction you are heading in. I would advise buying the USB-C version and get yourself a Lighting OTG-to-USB-C adapter as a transition solution then you dont need to worry when you upgrade to a new iPhone but can still use the RDE Wireless Micro with your ageing Lightning phone.Verdict: The RDE Wireless Micro is a super-convenient wireless microphone system for making TikTok, YouTube or Instagram content. The system is so simple to use and can be up and running in seconds. There are no frills or fancy features such as a Lavalier input or microphone monitoring, but for use with smartphones wireless mics dont come any more simple or easy to use. The audio quality is typical RDE quality with superbly clear capture and the GainAssist function works perfectly. If you want a wireless microphone system for your smartphone with two mics, then you cant go wrong with the RDE Wireless Micro. The price is pretty good too.Pricing & Availability: The RDE Wireless Micro is available now and priced at $149.Tech Specs:Polar pattern: Omnidirectional.Frequency range: 20Hz 20kHz.Maximum SPL: 135dB SPL.Equivalent Noise (A-Weighted): 21dBA.Signal-to-noise Ratio: 73dB.Transmission range: More than 100m.Connectivity: USB-C [for Wireless Micro (USB-C)] / Apple Lightning [for Wireless Micro (Lightning)].Operating System requirements: iOS 14 and above (for Lightning and USB-C) / Android 11 and above (for USB-C only).Battery capacity: 490mAh.Charging time: 3 hours.Total charges: 2 charges (extra 14 hours of operation).Connection type: USB-CTransmitters: x 2.Receiver: 1 x (USB-C or Lightning)Weight charging Case: 61g.Microphones: 12g / 18g (with magnet).Receiver: 6g.Combined weight: 102g.Mic dimensions: 40 x 20 x 17mm.Charging case dimensions: 44 x 24 x 9mm.Accessories: 1 x SC22 USB-C to USB-C Cable, Windshields.Colorways: Black or White.

Oscar De La Hoya (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)Getty ImagesOscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn are serious about the much-discussed 5v5 fight card between Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom.What began as a few competitive barbs between the two promoters has materialized into conversations bordering on substance. I spoke with De La Hoya on Monday, November 11, and he confirmed the card's legitimacy and shared his target date for the event.According to De La Hoya, he would love "to take over Cinco de Mayo weekend" with this massive card. Something tells me the targeted date was no coincidence.Here is a look at the entire interview, including De La Hoya discussing Ryan Garcia's comeback fight, Latino Night in Riyadh on November 16, Clapback Thursday, and more.I spoke to De La Hoya about the apparent conflict the 5v5 show might have with his former fighter, Canelo Alvarez. Every year, Canelo looks to fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend in May and Mexican Independence Day in September.No one knows that better than De La Hoya, and because the two legends have turned into bitter rivals, I joked with the former about the episode of Clapback Thursday that would come that week as he looked to stick it to Canelo. The details of the 5v5 event have shifted a bit, but the core concepts remain intact.MORE FOR YOUThe one seemingly definitive about the matchups is Shakur Stevenson taking on William Zepeda. Expect Stevenson to be a heavy favorite in the fight because of his speed and defensive gifts.While Zepeda has proven to have excellent power with 27 KOs in 31 fights, he will almost certainly be a step slower than Stevenson. The other discussed fights for the 5v5 are Jaron Boots Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz, the winner of Jose Ramirez-Arnold Barboza vs. Jack Catterall, Jai Opetaia vs. Gilberto Ramirez, and another fight that could include any of a group of fighters from the two promotions like Israil Madrimov, Oscar Duarte or Diego Pacheco.Many of the discussed fighters are scheduled to fight soon or have fought recently. Ennis scored a unanimous decision win over Karen Chukhadzhian on Saturday, though he looked vulnerable. Ramirez looks to unify the cruiserweight titles in the main event of November 16 Latino Night against Chris Billiam-Smith. Ramirez faces Barboza on the same card, and Catterall walked through former world champion Regis Prograis earlier this month.Duarte is also on the Latino Night card, facing Botirzhon Akhmedov. Madrimov is coming off a loss to Terence Crawford in August, and he faces Serhii Bohachuk on December 21. Bohachuk lost a controversial decision to Ortiz in his last fight. The timelines for every fighter rumored to be involved seemingly line up.As De La Hoya mentioned, it will come down to whether Turki Alalshikh believes in the concept and is willing to offer the same support that he has or past eventsincluding the five-v-five between Matchroom and Queensberry earlier this year. Stay tuned.

In his first earnings call following a quarterly earnings report, CEO David Joyner gave no ... [+] indication on November 6, 2024 any company breakup was in the cards. In this photo is the CVS logo as seen in front of one of its stores in Washington, DC on December 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesCold water has been tossed on the idea that CVS Health would break up the company and sell off health or pharmacy benefits from assets that provide medical care if you listen closely to the companys new chief executive.In his first earnings call following a quarterly earnings report, CEO David Joyner gave no indication any company breakup was in the cards as some media outlets led by a two-byline exclusive story a few weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal speculated. In fact, Joyner committed to forging ahead to improve the diversified portfolio of businesses CVS has that include drugstores and an array of outpatient services and primary care clinics; the Caremark pharmacy benefit management company and Aetna, which has more than 27 million medical members as the nations third largest health insurance company.We have the leading PBM, the best-run pharmacy in this country, a storied franchise through Aetna, and industry-leading healthcare delivery assets, Joyner told analysts last week on the companys third quarter earnings call. Our collection of businesses and omnichannel capabilities allows us to lead the industry forward with innovative and market-moving solutions.Joyners comments were his first made publicly since he was promoted less than a month ago to replace Karen S. Lynch, who stepped down. CVS Health has struggled to control costs in its Aetna health insurance businesses and its retail pharmacies have struggled, contributing to the companys sagging share price.Acknowledging Aetnas poor performance, Joyner said improving the health insurance business would be a primary focus, but gave no indication a divestiture of any of the companys three major businesses was in the works.Read More: Oscar Healths Obamacare Business Continues To Grow As Trumps Return LoomsCVS Health is made up of three attractive operating segments which are all critical to the healthcare system, Joyner told analysts. Two of those segments continue to perform consistent with our expectations. Our health services segment had another strong quarter while delivering on our commitments to lower drug costs to our clients and members. Our pharmacy and consumer wellness business continues to be the best-run national pharmacy in the country, increasing its share of scripts filled and delivering important community health access across the nation.Looking ahead, Joyner said the healthcare benefits business remains challenged as a result of continued elevated levels of utilization.Medicare Advantage plans run by CVS as well as othe health insurers have been struggling this year as seniors with a pent up demand for healthcare services following the Covid-19 pandemic seek care and submit claims to their health insurers. Medicare Advantage plans contract with the federal government to provide traditional coverage available in traditional Medicare plus extra benefits and services to seniors, such as disease management and nurse help hotlines with some also offering vision, dental care and wellness programs.While we are clearly underperforming at (health care benefits) today, this business has incredible earnings potential and is an essential element to our strategy, Joyner said. We expect the elevated levels of utilization will continue to pressure our 2024 performance.